How Covid-19 changed Nigerians

Most Nigerians would agree that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a devastating impact on the country. For those lucky enough to not have been directly affected, the overall statistics paint a clear picture: -1.9% GDP growth in 2020, the worst economic performance in 40 years; a third of the labour force unemployed; over 2,000 recorded COVID-19 deaths by the middle of April 2021.

While personal anecdotes and macroeconomic statistics are useful, they do not tell the full story. Thankfully, survey data on Nigerian households can give a micro yet representative view of how exactly COVID-19 affected Nigerians’ economic situation and how Nigerians have responded to the pandemic.

Since the first national lockdown in April 2020, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has been tracking the impact of COVID-19 on Nigeran households and how the population has responded. These COVID-19 impact surveys are based on a representative sample of nearly