World Bank: Over 75% of Rural Nigerians Living Below Poverty LineA new report from the World Bank has revealed that 75.5 percent of rural Nigerians are now living below the poverty line, underscoring the deepening economic hardship in the country’s rural regions.
The disclosure was made in the World Bank’s April 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief for Nigeria, which highlights growing inequality, economic stagnation, and chronic underdevelopment nationwide.
According to the report, while poverty remains widespread in urban areas, rural communities are bearing the brunt of economic challenges due to inflation, insecurity, and limited economic opportunities.
Citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the World Bank noted that 30.9 percent of Nigerians lived below the international extreme poverty threshold of $2.15 per day in 2018/19, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
