Analysis of Household Income Distribution in Rural Niger State Using Lorenz Curve and Gini Coefficient

Income inequality measurement in rural Niger State, North Central Nigeria, provides essential evidence for poverty programme design and evaluation, yet quantitative characterisation of income distribution in this predominantly agrarian region remains limited. This study analyses household income distribution in rural communities of Niger State using Lorenz curve construction and Gini coefficient computation. Household income data were collected from 240 farming households in Bida, Agaie, and Lavun local government areas through structured interviews. Annual household income from all sources was aggregated and deflated using the state consumer price index. The Lorenz curve was plotted by ranking households by income and computing cumulative income shares against cumulative population shares. The Gini coefficient was estimated using the trapezoidal approximation and bootstrapped 95 percent confidence intervals. The Gini coefficient was 0.46 (95% CI: 0.41 to 0.51), indicating substantial income inequality. The Lorenz curve showed that the richest 20 percent of households commanded 52 percent of total income, while the poorest 40 percent received only 14 percent. Farm income inequality (Gini = 0.41) was lower than non-farm income inequality (Gini = 0.58), suggesting that non-farm income diversification widens rural income gaps. Households with secondary-educated heads had significantly higher income than those with primary-educated heads. The study recommends targeted rural income transfer programmes and smallholder cooperative credit schemes to reduce income concentration in Niger State rural communities. Keywords: income inequality, Gini coefficient, Lorenz curve, Niger State, rural households