EFFECTS OF HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE PATTERNS ON NIGERIA POVERTY ODDS

Poverty and household expenditure patterns are like the two sides of a coin, where poverty is a state of lacks and denial; household expenditure patterns are the mirrors of households’ welfare. This study investigated the effects of some household expenditure patterns on the odds ratio of poverty adopting logit model. Study showed that about 52.25 percent of Nigeria’s populations are poor. Expenditure patterns of the households were classified into socio-economic characteristics: poverty status, sex and sector. The rural resident households likewise the poor revealed to spend more on food while the urban residents spend more on health. Female-headed households spend more on health while the male-headed households spend more on food. Health and food expenditures are the significant expenditures patterns with other poverty indicators like sector and household size as in the model. The rural household residents increase, in turn, increases the log of the odds ratio of poverty more, relative to the urban resident increase in households. Household size correlate with the log odds ratio of poverty implied that poverty odds increase as household size increase. Health insurance scheme, education subsidy, pension scheme, women empowerment and family planning advocacy policies and programme are recommended.

Keywords: Expenditure, poverty, household, population, consumption