Poverty and living standards in Rivers, Nigeria: official figures
62.4% of people in Rivers were multidimensionally poor in the 2022 Nigeria Multidimensional Poverty Index (survey 2021/22), about 4.40 million people. That rate is 15th lowest of the 36 states and the FCT; the national rate was 63%.
How severe is poverty in Rivers?
Rivers' 4.40 million poor people are 3.3% of the 133 million multidimensionally poor people in Nigeria. On average a poor person in Rivers is deprived in 38.7% of the weighted indicators (the intensity of poverty), giving an MPI value of 0.241.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics · saved copyHow many children in Rivers live in poverty?
Children are hit harder: 63.9% of under-18s in Rivers are multidimensionally poor, against 61.3% of adults.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics · saved copyWhat do poor households in Rivers go without?
The most common deprivations among poor people in Rivers are cooking with wood, charcoal or dung, no improved toilet and food insecurity: 53.1%, 51.0% and 50.2% of all residents are both poor and affected.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics · saved copyDo poor families in Rivers have clean water and toilets?
24.2% of residents are poor and lack safe drinking water, 51.0% are poor and lack an improved toilet, and 53.1% are poor and cook with wood, charcoal or dung.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics · saved copyHow does insecurity affect poor families in Rivers?
20.1% of people in Rivers are both poor and live in a household that suffered a security shock such as theft, kidnapping or attack in the previous year.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics · saved copyHow Rivers compares with other states
Multidimensionally poor (share of people) (2021/22)
Rivers ranks 23 of 37, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Multidimensionally poor (share of people) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Ogun | 68.1% |
| 21 | Kano | 66.3% |
| 22 | Enugu | 63.1% |
| 23 | Rivers | 62.4% |
| 24 | Kogi | 61.3% |
| 25 | Nasarawa | 60.7% |
| 26 | Oyo | 48.7% |
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Sources
- National Bureau of Statistics: Nigeria Multidimensional Poverty Index (2022), Appendix D tables by state, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 26498590b192…)
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