Nigeria Faces Increased Food Insecurity, Higher Child Stunting – Report

The report of new research that tracked Nigerian households to understand their resilience over time—conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics with support from the World Bank—has shown a staggering deficit in the quality of lifestyle, feeding, and security of most households in the last two years. The findings gave a granular sense of the current challenges that Nigerian households face. They also reveal levers for action to support household resilience.

Tagged “Nigeria General Household Survey-Panel (Wave 5) 2023/2024,” the survey data, which were launched yesterday, point to increased food insecurity, rising levels of child stunting, and suboptimal literacy outcomes, particularly in rural areas.

The NBS/World Bank report revealed that literacy remains a challenge, particularly in rural areas, where only 54 percent of individuals are literate. Nationally, 76.1 percent of children five to 14 years old attend school. However, there are significant differences across sectors and zones.

On the other hand, results show encouraging gains in average years of schooling and high levels of household entrepreneurship in the creation of nonfarm enterprises.

The bureau of statistics says the data’s panel nature enables tracking household-level changes in critical areas of welfare, work, and socio-economic outcomes over time, yielding insights for policy.

The latest GHS-Panel results are expected to inform evidence-based policy-making that will bolster resilience and benefit all Nigerians.

While Nigeria’s demographic trends do not significantly change when comparing results from GHS-Panel Wave 4 (2018/19) and Wave 5 (2023/24), the latest survey shows a slight increase (+3.7 percentage points) in the percentage of female-headed households at the national level.

The report shows that a considerable proportion of Nigeria’s population (45.4 per cent of households) has experienced the relocation of at least one household member.

“Countrywide, only 30.2 per cent of Nigerians report having a National Birth Certificate, and zonal disparities are discernible,” the NBS said, further compounding Nigeria’s existential population statistics controversy.

In the face of a soaring cost of medicals, the report showed that malaria is the most-reported illness, affecting 66.8 percent of the population, including 70.7 per cent in urban areas and 65.3 percent in rural areas.

Electricity access shows a divide: 82.2 per cent of urban households have electricity, compared to 40.4 per cent of households in rural areas. Nationwide, households face an average of 6.7 weekly electricity blackouts. Many households lack toilet facilities and rely on tube wells or boreholes for drinking water.

The NBS said only 43.5 per cent of women of reproductive age (ages 15 to 49) reported consuming diets that meet standards for minimum dietary diversity.

According to the report, two out of three households (65.8 per cent) indicated being unable to eat healthy, nutritious or preferred foods because of lack of money in the last 30 days.

“In general, households in the southern zones reported more incidents related to food security than those in northern zones, and a larger share of female-headed households report experiencing incidents related to food security, compared to male-headed households,” it stated.