- More than eight in 10 Nigerians (85%) say the country’s economic condition is bad, a 27-percentage-point increase compared to 2020. Six in 10 (62%) describe it as “very bad” (Figure 1).
- The proportion of citizens who describe their personal living conditions as “fairly bad” or “very bad” has increased by 24 percentage points since 2020, from 47% to 71%. This continues a worsening trend since 2014 (33%).
- Eight in 10 Nigerians (79%) experienced moderate or high levels of lived poverty during the previous year, double the proportion recorded in 2014 and 2017 (38%), after a significant improvement between 2012 (54%) and 2014 (Figure 2).
- Nigerians cite management of the economy (39%) and unemployment (35%) as the second and third most important problems that they want the government to address, outstripped only by crime and security (41%) (Figure 3).
- About nine in 10 respondents say the government is doing “fairly badly” or “very badly” at keeping prices stable (93%), managing the economy (87%), narrowing income gaps (86%), and improving living standards of the poor (85%) (Figure 4).
Nigerians’ assessment of their personal living conditions and the country’s economic situation have worsened dramatically over the past two years, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.
The proportion of citizens experiencing moderate or high levels of lived poverty has doubled since 2017, as majorities experienced shortages of basic necessities such as food, water, and medical care during the year preceding the survey.
Citizens’ ratings of the government’s performance on key economic issues – including keeping prices stable, managing the economy, and reducing poverty – are overwhelmingly negative.
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