Nigeria faces rising climate risks and floods ^{CEFR B1}

Nigeria's climate varies because it lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Sahara Desert. Between 1991 and 2020 the country recorded an average yearly temperature of 27.3 degrees Celsius and ranked 41st among 234 countries. The south receives heavy rain from the Atlantic and the Cameroon Highlands, while the far north is drier and affected by hot, dry winds from the Sahara.

The country is increasingly exposed to extreme weather. The World Risk Index placed Nigeria 60th among 193 countries in 2025 and 61st in 2024, a change linked to worse disaster severity and official preparedness. Flooding is the most prominent disaster: 2024 floods caused 280 deaths, 2,504 injuries, destroyed 122,330 homes, damaged 17,000 acres of farmland, and displaced about 641,500 people.

Other disasters include drought and heat waves in the north. In 2022 Nigeria had the third-highest internal displacement rate in Africa, driven mainly by conflict and flooding. Disaster-related migration in North-Central and North-West Nigeria accounted for seven percent, with state shares reported as Kogi 90 percent, Katsina 15 percent, Nasarawa 14 percent, Kano 12 percent, and Kaduna 12 percent. Agriculture remains central to the economy and floods reduce output and jobs, hitting women who make up much of the farm workforce.