Nigeria · Consumer markets
What Nigeria’s household survey found about renting and dwelling size
In the 2023/24 household survey, 40.2% of urban households rented their dwelling, compared with 8.5% of rural households. The South West recorded the highest renting share among six zones, at 38.3%.
Sources checked
Own their dwelling
Shared scale · 0% to 88.2%
Rent their dwelling
Shared scale · 0% to 88.2%
Switch between owners and renters. Each percentage uses the households in that row as its denominator.
Ownership was more common in rural areas
The survey recorded 80.1% of rural households and 49.1% of urban households in owner-occupied homes. Nationally 70.4% owned their dwelling, 18.4% rented and the remaining responses fell into the two rent-free categories. Source 1
Renting varied across zones
In the South West, 38.3% reported renting and 47.4% owning. The North West recorded 3.1% renting and 88.2% owning. The South South had the highest share in the survey’s authorized rent-free category, at 22.9%. Source 1
Urban households more often reported one or two rooms
One- and two-room dwellings accounted for 55.5% of urban responses, compared with 37.3% in rural areas. In the South West the two categories together accounted for 66.8%. Room counts do not show a home’s floor area or occupancy per room. Source 1
Household tenure and market prices require different measures
The survey asks households about the dwelling they occupy. It does not count vacant properties, lease transactions or new construction. The share of households renting can therefore differ from the share of homes offered on the rental market. Source 1