Chronic and transitory poverty in Nigeria: Evidence from the Nigerian general household survey

Abstract

Poverty in Nigeria has always been examined as a static phenomenon, although empirical studies established that, rather than being static, the poverty levels of individuals can change over time and people can enter and leave a transitory state of poverty. Many individuals live in poverty for a long period of time, the length of which is the defining characteristic of a state of chronic poverty. There has been little or no effort by researchers to distinguish households that are chronically poor from those that are transitorily poor. It is against this background that this study sought to investigate the extent of chronic and transitory poverty among households in Nigeria: specifically, what factors influence chronic and transitory poverty in Nigeria.