The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in partnership with the World Bank, reports that rising food prices, insecurity, and scarcity are deepening food insecurity across Nigeria. According to the General Household Survey (Wave 5), 65.8% of households cannot afford healthy meals due to financial constraints, and 48.8% have resorted to reducing their food intake as a coping mechanism.
Food shortages impacted over one-third of households in the last year, particularly between June and August, while 71% reported significant price increases for major food items.
The report highlights alarming trends:
• 62.4% of families worried about not having enough food, up from 36.9% in 2019.
• 63.8% limited their diets to fewer varieties due to lack of money.
• 12.3% skipped meals entirely for a day, while 20.8% borrowed food or relied on others for help.
Southern regions, particularly the South-South and South-East, reported higher rates of food insecurity compared to the North-Central zone, which had the lowest rates in six of the eight indicators.
This data underscores the urgent need for interventions to combat food insecurity and its widespread effects on Nigerian households.
