Over 65% of Nigerian households unable to afford wholesome meals because of lack of cash

At the very least 65.8% of Nigerian households had been unable to eat wholesome, nutritious, or most popular meals up to now 30 days because of lack of cash.

That is primarily based on the Common Family Survey-Panel Wave 5 (2023/2024), a brand new report from the Nationwide Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The report, supported by the World Bank, additional reveals that 63.8% of households relied on a restricted number of meals, whereas 62.4% expressed fear about having inadequate meals to eat.

Additionally, 60.5% of households mentioned they consumed much less meals than they need to, with 12.3% reporting that at the least one member went a full day with out consuming. A notable 20.8% of households needed to borrow meals or search help from pals and kinfolk to outlive.

The report learn: “Roughly two out of three households (65.8 per cent) reported being unable to eat wholesome, nutritious, or most popular meals due to lack of cash within the final 30 days. 63.8 per cent of households ate just a few sorts of meals because of lack of cash, 62.4 per cent had been anxious about not having sufficient meals to eat, and 60.5 per cent ate lower than they thought they need to.

“Moreover, 12.3 per cent reported that at the least one individual within the family went with out consuming for a complete day, and 20.8 per cent of households needed to borrow meals or depend on assist from pals or kinfolk.”

Southern zones and female-headed households hit hardest

Geographic disparities had been evident, with households in Nigeria’s southern zones reporting larger ranges of meals insecurity than these within the northern areas. Within the South-South zone, for example, over 60% of households admitted to skipping meals because of monetary difficulties, in comparison with fewer instances within the North Central zone.
The report additionally highlighted the disproportionate burden on female-headed households.
A staggering 72.2% of female-led households had been unable to afford wholesome meals, in comparison with 64% of male-led households.
The hole was much more pronounced in instances the place households fully ran out of meals, with 55.2% of female-headed households affected versus 41.3% of male-headed ones.

Vital rise in meals insecurity since 2018

The info additionally revealed a major rise in meals insecurity in comparison with 2018/2019. The proportion of households anxious about meals because of monetary challenges has practically doubled, climbing from 36.9% in Wave 4 to 62.4% in Wave 5.

The North Central zone skilled the most important improve, the place households expressing food-related issues tripled from 16.2% to 44.9%. In the meantime, the South West zone noticed a smaller improve, from 46.7% to 61.7%.
Additionally, 37% of households reported experiencing meals shortages up to now 12 months. Amongst these, 61.6% confronted shortages throughout particular months, significantly June, July, and August, which had been recognized as essentially the most troublesome durations.
The North East zone recorded the very best meals shortages at 53%, whereas the North Central zone had the bottom incidence at 25.7%.