Nigeria’s struggle with food insecurity has deepened, as the country slid further down the 2025 Global Hunger Index (GHI) to 115th position out of 123 countries, signaling a severe deterioration in living conditions for millions of citizens.
The latest report, jointly released by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, shows that Nigeria’s hunger score rose to 32.8 points in 2025, up from 28.8 points the previous year, placing the nation firmly in the “serious hunger” category. The index, which tracks hunger across the world, evaluates countries based on undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality.
For nearly two decades, Nigeria has remained trapped within the serious hunger threshold, with little measurable progress. Since 2008, when its GHI score stood at 32.3, the country has hovered in the same range — underscoring what analysts describe as a chronic and systemic failure to ensure food security despite its vast agricultural potential. The report warns that an estimated 33 million Nigerians could experience acute hunger by the end of 2025 if structural challenges in food production and distribution remain unaddressed.
According to the GHI, a combination of armed conflict, flooding, and weak policy response has intensified the crisis. Persistent insecurity across major food-producing regions has forced farmers off their lands, disrupted rural livelihoods, and triggered a spike in food prices nationwide. In the early months of 2025, exceptional rainfall and devastating floods ravaged farmlands across several states, wiping out crops and displacing thousands of farming families. These events, the report notes, have compounded the impact of economic instability and high production costs, further pushing vulnerable households into hunger.
“The 20th edition of the Global Hunger Index comes at a time of rising alarm about food security globally,” the authors wrote. “Development finances are under pressure, humanitarian support is stretched thin, and hunger is becoming persistent in several hotspots, including Nigeria.”
The GHI also highlights a worsening nutrition crisis among children. Between 2020 and 2024, 11.6 percent of Nigerian children under five suffered from wasting — one of the highest rates globally — while 10.5 percent died before reaching their fifth birthday. Health experts say the figures reveal the far-reaching toll of food shortages and poverty on child survival and development.
Despite several interventions aimed at boosting agricultural productivity, experts say the country’s food system remains fragile. Limited access to credit, poor rural infrastructure, and inconsistent policy frameworks continue to undermine progress. Nigeria now ranks as the second most affected country in West Africa within the “serious hunger” category. The report urges the government to strengthen social protection measures, invest in climate-resilient agriculture, and improve security in rural areas to restore farmers’ confidence.
Globally, the 2025 GHI warns that hunger is resurging amid conflict, economic shocks, and climate disruptions. The authors caution that the world is off track to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030, with millions at risk of falling deeper into poverty if urgent action is not taken. For Nigeria, the report concludes, reversing the trend will require not just emergency relief, but long-term reforms that address the root causes of food insecurity and prioritize inclusive agricultural growth.
