According to data released by StatiSense for 2026 on states with the lowest multidimensional poverty rates in Nigeria, all the top 12 states are from the South, with no single Northern state making the list.
The report titled "Which States Have The Lowest Multidimensional Poverty Rates? — 2026" placed Lagos State at the top with only 3.7% multidimensional poverty rate. Edo followed with 4.9%, Rivers with 7.2%, Ogun with 7.5%, and Ekiti with 9.5%.
Others on the list are Anambra with 9.6%, Abia with 12.3%, Imo and Ondo both with 14.3%, Osun with 14.6%, Delta with 15.6% and Akwa Ibom with 20.2%.
What is more striking is that five of the 12 states recorded multidimensional poverty rates below 10%, a clear sign of intentional leadership, investment in human capital and people-oriented policies.
According to the breakdown, the South West has five states on the list, South South has four, and South East has three. The entire North - North Central, North East and North West - has zero representation among the best performing states.
This pattern has raised fresh questions about how state resources are managed across the country.
While Southern governors have invested heavily in education, healthcare, small business support, infrastructure and job creation to lift their people out of poverty, many Northern states still struggle with out-of-school children, weak primary healthcare, insecurity and poor access to economic opportunities despite receiving huge FAAC allocations and other federal interventions.
The implication of Southern dominance on the poverty ranking becomes clearer when compared with the recent United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, report.
The 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, MPI, published by UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, OPHI, revealed that eight Northern states have the highest multidimensional poverty rates in Nigeria.
The states listed are Kebbi, Yobe, Sokoto, Jigawa, Zamfara, Gombe, Borno and Bauchi, with Kebbi, Yobe and Sokoto recording the worst levels.
The UNDP report said poverty is now heavily concentrated in the North, meaning that despite decades of federal projects, cash transfers, and social investment programmes targeted at the region, millions of people are still trapped in deprivations of health, education and living standards.
Analysts say the two reports side by side tell a simple story. Southern governors, regardless of party affiliation, have shown more responsibility and accountability in translating revenue into visible impact for their people, while governance failure and misplaced priorities have kept many Northern states at the bottom.
From Lagos to Edo to Anambra, there is evidence of sustained social investment, better urban planning, support for SMEs, and a deliberate push to reduce unemployment. In contrast, many Northern states are still battling the same basic problems that have existed for years.
The latest figures have therefore reignited the call for Northern governors to rethink their governance model and prioritize human development over politics, if the region is to close the widening poverty gap with the South.
