According to Global Citizen Solutions’ most recent Quality of Living Index, Nigeria has once again performed poorly, ranking 135 out of 199 countries. While this ranking shows a slight improvement over the previous three years, it nevertheless emphasizes the enduring and deeply ingrained socio-economic conundrum that Africa’s most populous country faces. The Quality of Living Index evaluates countries based on six primary indicators, including cost of living, environmental performance, sustainable development, migrant acceptance, freedom, and happiness. Each of these factors provides a comprehensive snapshot of the conditions that shape citizens’ day-to-day experiences.
Particularly concerning are Nigeria’s stark shortcomings in critical metrics like happiness (the country scored a pitiful 10%) and expense of living (just 20%). These findings exposed the severe economic conditions faced by millions of Nigerians, many of whom are weighed down by the incessant pressure of growing expenses, inflation, unemployment, and poverty. When compared with lesser African economies, Nigeria’s ranking becomes even more startling. For instance, Namibia ranked 87, South Africa (88), Tunisia (90), Ghana (91), Morocco (103), Senegal (106), Botswana (107), and Algeria (108)—all significantly higher than Nigeria.
Smaller nations outperform Nigeria in living standards.
These countries, despite having smaller populations and economies, managed to outpace Nigeria in providing their residents with a more sustainable and habitable environment. This disparity highlights Nigeria’s difficulty in harnessing its abundant resources into substantial raises in living standards. The roots of Nigeria’s poor performance are linked to the severe economic hardship that has become a defining characteristic of many Nigerians’ everyday lives. Inflation has soared to all-time highs over the past year, making basic goods and services unaffordable for the typical household.
Families are struggling to satisfy their most basic necessities as staples like food, fuel, and housing have become unaffordable. Millions of people are compelled to forgo meals or accept inadequate nourishment in order to survive, which has led to widespread hunger. Unemployment also remains a persistent and growing problem, particularly among Nigeria’s large youth population. Young people are left disillusioned and unable to make a significant contribution to the Economy due to a lack of employment possibilities and inadequate support networks.
Multiple global indices expose Nigeria’s living standards.
As a result, Poverty rates continue rising, and more and more Nigerians are trapped in a never-ending cycle of hardship. The tenacity of the populace has been strained to its limit by these difficulties. Many are struggling to keep up, with little hope due to the extreme heat of the economy. Because daily survival takes precedence over long-term goals, a sizable section of the population nonetheless aspires to a fair level of living. The broader implications of Nigeria’s poor performance in the Quality of Living Index are difficult to ignore.
Other international indices and reports have consistently ranked Nigeria alarmingly low in measurements related to the standard of living in the previous years. Nigeria’s score of 0.548 in the 2024 Human Development Index (HDI) report, which is based on metrics including life expectancy, education, and per capita income and is released annually by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), indicates that the nation has low levels of human development. The country was also placed 102nd out of 143 countries assessed worldwide as of 2024 in the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s World Happiness Report, surpassed by South Africa (ranked 83rd) and Libya (ranked 66th).
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Also, in the 2024 Global Hunger Index rankings, Nigeria is ranked 110 out of 127 nations with enough data to determine GHI scores. According to the 2024 Global Hunger Index, Nigeria has a severe level of hunger, scoring 28.8. The country’s low ranking in the Quality of Living Index and other international studies should act as a cautionary tale to decision-makers. To reverse this trend, the government must enact drastic and focused measures to address inflation, poverty, unemployment, and insecurity. The way forward for Nigeria calls for decisive and quick action.