According to governmental data from 2020, the Gini coefficient in Nigeria was 35.1 points as of 2019. The Gini index gives information on the distribution of income in a country. In an ideal situation in which incomes are perfectly distributed, the coefficient is equal to zero.

The first eight countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution in the world are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, with an index over 50 points.

Comparing the 130 selected regions regarding the gini index , South Africa is leading the ranking (0.63 points) and is followed by Namibia with 0.58 points. At the other end of the spectrum is Slovakia with 0.23 points, indicating a difference of 0.4 points to South Africa. The Gini coefficient here measures the degree of income inequality on a scale from 0 (=total equality of incomes) to one (=total inequality).The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

South Africa had the highest inequality in income distribution in 2023 with a Gini score of 63. Its South African neighbor Namibia followed in second. The Gini coefficient measures the deviation of the distribution of income (or consumption) among individuals or households within a country from a perfectly equal distribution. A value of 0 represents absolute equality, a value of 100 absolute inequality. All the 20 most unequal countries in the world were either located in Africa or Latin America & The Caribbean.

39,00 (%) in 2018. Der GINI-Index misst, zu welchem Ausmaß die Einkommensverteilung oder die Konsumausgaben von Individuen oder Haushalten innerhalb einer Wirtschaft von der idealen, gleichmäßigen Verteilung abweichen. Mithilfe einer Lorenzkurve werden die kumulierten Prozentsätze des Gesamteinkommens und die kumulierte Anzahl der Personen, die Einkommen beziehen, angefangen mit dem ärmsten Individuum oder Haushalt, dargestellt. Der GINI-Index misst die Fläche zwischen der Lorenzkurve und einer hypothetischen Linie, die die perfekte Verteilung symbolisiert und wird als Prozentsatz der maximalen Fläche unter dieser Linie angegeben. Somit bedeutet ein GINI-Index von 0 eine absolut gleichmäßige Verteilung, ein Index von 100 eine absolute Ungleichheit.

NG：基尼系数（GINI系数）：世界银行估计在12-01-2009达43.000%，相较于12-01-2003的40.100%有所增长。NG：基尼系数（GINI系数）：世界银行估计数据按年更新，12-01-1985至12-01-2009期间平均值为43.000%，共5份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-1996，达51.900%，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-1985，为38.700%。CEIC提供的NG：基尼系数（GINI系数）：世界银行估计数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于全球数据库的尼日利亚 – 表 NG.世行.WDI：贫困。

39,00 (%) in 2018. Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income or consumption expenditure among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household. The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.

Foraging for wild resources links urban citizens to nature and biodiversity while providing resources important for local livelihoods and culture. However, the abundance and distributional (in)equity of forageable urban tree resources have rarely been examined. Consequently, this study assessed the abundance of forageable street trees and their distribution in Lagos metropolis, Nigeria. During a survey of 32 randomly selected wards across 16 local government areas (LGAs) in the metropolis, 4,017 street trees from 46 species were enumerated. The LGA with the highest number of street trees was Ikeja, with 818 trees, while Lagos Island had the lowest count, with two trees. This disparity in tree numbers could be attributed to variations in human population density within each LGA. Ninety-four percent of the street trees surveyed had at least one documented use and 76 % had two, and thus were potentially forageable. However, the most common species had relatively low forageability scores. Only 5.6 % of the total street tree population was rated as highly forageable, with a usability score of at least 11 out of 15. The most forageable street trees were fruit trees and non-native species. The forageable street trees in the LGAs showed a significant disparity in their distribution, as evidenced by a Gini coefficient of 0.81. Overall, richer neighbourhoods had a higher street tree abundance, richness, and forageability potential. To meet greening and foraging goals and address the current inequitable distribution, we suggest allocating more funds for greening, particularly in low-income neighbourhoods. Further research should evaluate forageable species from other sites to acquire a detailed understanding of the distribution and abundance of forageable resources in Lagos metropolis.

Nigeria registered the highest gender inequality score in Africa. As of 2021 the country received a score of around 0.68. The Central African Republic, Liberia, and Chad followed, with 0.67, 0.65, 0.65, respectively. On the other hand, Cabo Verde, Tunisia, and Libya achieved the lowest scores on the African continent.

The indicator measures the potential of human development loss resulting from gender achievement disparities based on reproductive health, empowerment, and the labor market. Higher values on a scale from zero to one indicate higher inequalities between women and men.

In 2025, nearly 11.7 percent of the world population in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at 2.15 U.S. dollars a day, lived in Nigeria. Moreover, the Democratic Republic of the Congo accounted for around 11.7 percent of the global population in extreme poverty. Other African nations with a large poor population were Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar. Poverty levels remain high despite the forecast decline Poverty is a widespread issue across Africa. Around 429 million people on the continent were living below the extreme poverty line of 2.15 U.S. dollars a day in 2024. Since the continent had approximately 1.4 billion inhabitants, roughly a third of Africa’s population was in extreme poverty that year. Mozambique, Malawi, Central African Republic, and Niger had Africa’s highest extreme poverty rates based on the 2.15 U.S. dollars per day extreme poverty indicator (updated from 1.90 U.S. dollars in September 2022). Although the levels of poverty on the continent are forecast to decrease in the coming years, Africa will remain the poorest region compared to the rest of the world. Prevalence of poverty and malnutrition across Africa Multiple factors are linked to increased poverty. Regions with critical situations of employment, education, health, nutrition, war, and conflict usually have larger poor populations. Consequently, poverty tends to be more prevalent in least-developed and developing countries worldwide. For similar reasons, rural households also face higher poverty levels. In 2024, the extreme poverty rate in Africa stood at around 45 percent among the rural population, compared to seven percent in urban areas. Together with poverty, malnutrition is also widespread in Africa. Limited access to food leads to low health conditions, increasing the poverty risk. At the same time, poverty can determine inadequate nutrition. Almost 38.3 percent of the global undernourished population lived in Africa in 2022.

As of January 2024, Johann Rupert and his family are the richest people in South Africa with a net worth of 9.6 billion U.S. dollars. The Rupert family are ranked at 224 globally and are the second richest people in Africa after Nigerian billionaire, Aliko Dangote, reclaimed the title. Rupert's net worth dropped by 2.2 billion U.S. dollars from 2023, mainly due to a decline in the market value of luxury goods company Richemont, where he owns an estimated 9.14 percent stake. Nicky Oppenheimer and his family placed as the second richest in South Africa, with a net worth of 9.4 billion U.S. dollars and ranking at 232 worldwide. Their net worth source was mostly founded via the diamond market. They were followed by Koos Bekker, the chairman of media group Naspers, with 2.6 billion U.S. dollars who placed 1,202 globally. Patrice Motsepe, the first black African on the Forbes list and founder of African Rainbow Minerals, ranked 1,208 out of the global billionaires list, with a net worth of 2.6 billion U.S. dollars.

Where does the wealth reside in the continent?

The three largest economies in the continent in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), namely Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa saw the highest concentration of private wealth in the continent, with South Africa ranking first when it came to private wealth. In fact, out of Africa’s 20 wealthiest families and individuals, 14 of them were from these economies. Since 2010, the number of high net worth individuals in the continent fluctuated peaking at 148 individuals in 2017 and reaching its lowest in 2020 at 125. High net worth individuals are people whose net assets exceed one million U.S. dollars. On the other hand, South Africa suffered from severe income inequality ranking as the most unequal country in the world with a Gini coefficient of 62.73 percent.