The latest report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in collaboration with the World Bank, has highlighted the alarming impact of rising food prices and insecurity on Nigerian households.
According to the General Household Survey Panel (Wave 5), 65% of families struggle to afford nutritious meals, while over a third experienced food shortages in the past year.
The report found that 71% of households were affected by skyrocketing prices of essential food items, a trend that intensified during the months of June, July, and August. With Nigeria’s inflation rate surging to 33.88%, food insecurity has reached critical levels, forcing many families to cut back on their daily consumption.
Alarming Trends in Food Security
The findings indicate that concerns about food sufficiency among households have grown significantly. In 2019 (Wave 4), 36.9% of families expressed worry about food insecurity. This figure has now jumped to 62.4%. The report notes that 65.8% of households could not afford healthy or preferred foods due to financial constraints in the past month, while 63.8% relied on a limited variety of food. Alarmingly, 12.3% of households reported that at least one family member went an entire day without eating, and 20.8% depended on borrowed food or assistance from others.
Regional Disparities
The south-south region recorded the highest levels of food insecurity concerns in five out of eight indicators analyzed. Households in this region expressed the most severe struggles in accessing adequate food, underscoring the regional disparities in food security.
Coping with Rising Prices
To adapt, 48.8% of households have reduced their food intake, a trend driven by the persistent increase in food prices. The NBS also revealed that 71.2 million Nigerians are self-employed, while 13 million are wage earners—further emphasizing the economic pressures faced by households.
This growing food insecurity crisis reflects the urgent need for targeted interventions to support vulnerable populations, address inflation, and improve food access across the country.
