African countries make up more than half of the world's hunger hotspot in 2023
With about 24.8m people in Nigeria facing acute food insecurity, the country is first on the World Food Programme's list of hunger hotspots in 2023. 11 of the 20 countries on the list are African.
India tops the list of the global number of people unable to afford a decent meal with a value of 792.80 million causing unaffordability to prevail in the country by 55.6%.
China emerged as the second country in this global list with 208.10 million people falling in this category and unaffordability prevalence of 14.6%.
Nigeria claimed 6.2% of the global total with 175.6M, making it the 3rd country with the highest number of healthy diet unaffordability.
High number of people that could not afford a healthy diet does not outrightly equal high percentage of healthy diet unaffordability.
The boneless beef price recorded the largest increase of more than ₦3,620 on average, followed closely by dried catfish (+₦3,619.35) and frozen chicken (+₦3,583.82).
Prices of major animal proteins have more than doubled, with price increases ranging from ₦1,900 to ₦3,630 on average.
The top 20 food items saw price hikes of at least ₦1,900.
The cost of a medium-sized crate of eggs more than tripled between May 2023 and December 2024.
From hangouts with friends to family outings during the holiday season, quick-service restaurants (QSRs) have become an important part of Nigeria's social ecosystem. These businesses are landmarks in cities and important players in the growing food delivery business.
Chicken Republic is the largest QSR in Nigeria by outlet count, with nearly 200 outlets. It dwarfs its closest rival, Kilimanjaro, with over two times its 84 outlets. In third and fourth are Coldstone Creamery and Domino's Pizza, signalling a potential interest in QSRs that have narrowed menus among Nigerians.
The Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) represents the most affordable combination of locally available foods that meet global dietary standards for a balanced diet, excluding transportation and meal preparation costs.
In Nigeria, the CoHD surged by 91%, rising from ₦703 in October 2023 to ₦1,346 in September 2024. This sharp increase underscores Nigerians' escalating financial challenges in maintaining a nutritious diet.
