January 26, 2026
Nigeria’s housing deficit stood at 14.925 million units in 2025, according to newly released data by the National Housing Data Technical Committee inaugurated by the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
The data was unveiled during a technical session at the 14th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, held in Ilorin, Kwara State, from January 19 to 23, 2026.
Presenting the findings, the Chairman of the Committee and Director at the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), Dr. Taofeek Olatinwo, said the figures were produced under the National Housing Data Programme using scientifically validated methods, replacing what he described as years of unverified and inconsistent estimates.
The analysis adopted the number of persons per room as a key benchmark for measuring housing adequacy and revealed persistent supply gaps driven by rapid population growth, accelerating urbanisation, weak access to long-term housing finance, land and title challenges, and inadequate housing supply in several parts of the country.
Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, commended the committee for establishing a credible national baseline for housing data, describing it as a major breakthrough for the sector.
“One of the biggest gaps in our sector has been the absence of reliable, centralized and actionable housing data. Without data, planning becomes guesswork; investment becomes speculative; and tracking progress becomes difficult,” Dangiwa said.
Dr. Olatinwo explained that the deficit estimates were derived from multiple validated sources, including national household surveys, population and housing census data, and housing adequacy indices developed in line with international best practices.
“Reliable housing data is fundamental to solving Nigeria’s housing problem. Accurate measurement of the housing deficit enables government, lenders, developers and investors to plan effectively, allocate resources properly and design sustainable interventions that expand access to affordable housing,” he noted.
The data release forms part of the broader mandate of the National Housing Data Technical Committee, a multi-agency platform coordinated by NMRC in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the National Bureau of Statistics, National Population Commission, Central Bank of Nigeria, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Federal Housing Authority and other key institutions.
Under the programme, the committee is leading efforts to establish a National Housing Data Centre, envisioned as a central platform for aggregating, standardising and disseminating housing and mortgage market data to support policy formulation, housing delivery planning and the development of long-term housing finance.
The newly released figures underscore the scale of Nigeria’s housing challenge and reinforce calls for coordinated reforms in land administration, housing supply, infrastructure provision and mortgage finance expansion.
The National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development is Nigeria’s highest intergovernmental policy forum on housing and urban development, bringing together federal and state governments to deliberate on sector priorities, reforms and implementation strategies.
