According to the latest Quality of Living Index by Global Citizen Solutions, Nigeria does not make the cut in the top rankings for countries providing the best quality of life for their citizens. The West African nation is placed at the 135th position out of 199 countries, with a score of 54.1. This ranking suggests that Nigeria is not a prime destination for individuals seeking to relocate due to various factors including economic conditions, climate change impacts, and human rights issues.
The index considers multiple dimensions such as infrastructure, cost of living, personal and political freedoms, environmental quality, and attitudes towards foreigners. Nigeria’s low score is attributed to:
Economic Challenges: The current economic climate, marked by a cost of living crisis, has significantly impacted the standard of living.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Nigeria performs poorly in achieving the UN’s 17 SDGs, reflecting challenges in areas like health, education, and reducing inequality.
Personal Freedom: The country is rated as “partially free” in terms of protecting individual freedoms.
Environmental Quality: Nigeria scores very low, likely due to pollution and other ecological issues.
Migrant Acceptance: Despite the low overall score, Nigeria ranks high in its acceptance of migrants.
In comparison to other African nations, Nigeria falls behind countries like Namibia (87th), South Africa (88th), and Ghana (91st), but ranks above nations such as Libya and Sierra Leone. Globally, it outperforms countries like China and Venezuela but lags far behind leading European countries like Sweden and Finland, which dominate the top spots.
The Global Citizen Solutions report explains that the Quality of Living Index evaluates:
The general human development and population’s quality of life.
Happiness levels.
Healthcare quality and affordability.
Safety of living conditions.
Educational opportunities.
Travel convenience.
Levels of freedom.
The index uses a weighted system where various indicators are considered, including:
SDG achievement (30%).
Cost of Living (20%).
Freedom in the World index (20%).
Happiness Score (10%).
Environmental Performance Index (10%).
Migrant Acceptance (10%).
This ranking sheds light on the multifaceted challenges Nigeria faces, from economic to environmental, and underscores the need for comprehensive reforms to improve the living conditions for its citizens.
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