According to the National Bureau of Statistics, these 10 states are the poorest in Nigeria with over 70% poverty rate.
A survey carried out on the bureau’s website, disclosed that Sokoto remains the poorest state in Nigeria with an 81.2% poverty rate.

1. Sokoto
Sokoto has unfriendly climate conditions with temperature going as high as 45C on a normal day. Most parts of the state are rural areas and over eighty percent (80%) of the inhabitants of Sokoto practice one form of agriculture or another.
2. Katsina
Katsina is a state in North central Nigeria and has the highest poverty prevalence among all states in the region.
3. Adamawa
Formed in 1991 from the extinct Gongola state, Adamawa has of late been terrorized by the Boko Haram terrorists, disrupting its economic development and growth.
4. Gombe
Gombe is another North eastern state which suffers sporadic attacks from terrorists.
5. Jigawa
Jigawa state is situated in the north-western part of the country. It is mostly populated by the Hausa/Fulani, who are spread throughout the state. It has a 74.1 percent poverty rate.
6. Plateau
Plateau state is the twelfth largest state of Nigeria haunted by some terrorist attacks and tribal clashes from time to time, especially clashes between Fulani herdsmen and its inhabitants.
7. Ebonyi
Ebonyi is the only south-eastern state among the top 9 poorest country.
8. Bauchi
In Hausa the word Bauchi meansthe land of freedom and tourism. However recent Boko Haram adventures in the area, though few, have driven tourists away from the area.
9. Kebbi
It is bordered by Sokoto State,Niger State,Dosso Regionin the Republic of Niger and the nation of Benin. The recently concluded Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport (SABIA), stands out as one of Nigeria’s most sophisticated airports and is expected to boost the state’s economy.
10. Zamfara
Recently the governor was blasted for the “alarming scope of economic dangers and its potential threat to the economic development of the state,” by the Zamfara Budget Working Group.
Niger is the state with the lowest poverty rate which is 33.8%. It was followed by Osun (37.9%) and Ondo (45.7%).
Bayelsa (47%) and Lagos (48.6%) have less than 50% poverty rate.
The average poverty rate in the Northwest geopolitical zone is 71.4%, which remained the highest in the said area.
It is followed by the Northeast region which has 69.1% and the North central region which has 60.7%.
Poverty was least dominant in the Southwest (49.8%), South-South (55.5%), and South-East regions (59.5%).