2021 Data: Bayelsa Leads States Where Children Live With Mothers Alone

A 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey graphic shows the share of Nigerian children aged 0–17 who live with their mother while their father is alive but not living in the same household. Bayelsa recorded the highest figure at 19%, followed by Cross River at 14.4%, Edo at 14.3%, Ekiti at 13.7% and Ondo at 13.5%. The top 12 are concentrated in the South-South and South-West, with Kogi as the only North-Central state. No South-East state appears in the ranking. This is not a measure of all single mothers, nor does it prove anything about parental morality or family values in any region. Children’s living arrangements can be shaped by migration, work, separation, remarriage, caregiving by extended family and whether either parent lives elsewhere. The notable question is why the pattern differs so widely across states. The available data identifies the gap, but further research is needed before drawing conclusions about regional family structures.

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