Editing Niger (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Niger}}
[[File:Niger single age population pyramid 2020.png|thumb|Population age pyramid of Niger in 2020]]
[[File:1997 275-15 young Wodaabe women.jpg|thumb|[[Wodaabe]] women with traditional [[face tattoo|facial tattoos]] ]]
{{As of|{{UN_Population|Year}}}}, the population of Niger was {{UN_Population|Niger}}.{{UN_Population|ref}} Niger's population has rapidly increased from its population of 3.4 million in 1960 and has a current growth rate of 3.3% (7.1 children per mother).<ref name="ins-demographics">{{in lang|fr}} ''Annuaires Statistiques du Niger 2007–2011''. [http://www.stat-niger.org/statistique/file/Annuaires_Statistiques/AS2007-2011STRUCTUREPOPULATION.pdf Structure de la population] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726234159/http://www.stat-niger.org/statistique/file/Annuaires_Statistiques/AS2007-2011STRUCTUREPOPULATION.pdf |date=26 July 2014}} (Niger's National Statistics Institute Report)</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/niger-population/ |title=Niger Population |publisher=Worldometers |access-date=14 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814061458/https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/niger-population/ |archive-date=14 August 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

This growth rate is one of the highest in the world and is a source of concern for the government and international agencies.<ref name="irin-demographics">[http://www.irinnews.org/report/75801/niger-population-explosion-threatens-development-gains Niger: Population explosion threatens development gains] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725165712/http://www.irinnews.org/report/75801/niger-population-explosion-threatens-development-gains |date=25 July 2014}}. [[The New Humanitarian|IRIN]], 11 December 2007.</ref> The population is predominantly young, with 49.2% under 15 years old and 2.7% over 65 years, and predominantly rural with only 21% living in urban areas.<ref name="ins-demographics"/>

A 2005 study{{which|date=May 2021}} stated that over 800,000 people (nearly 8% of the population) [[Slavery in Niger|in Niger are enslaved]].<ref>"[https://abcnews.go.com/International/Story?id=813618&page=1 The Shackles of Slavery in Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219150212/https://abcnews.go.com/International/Story?id=813618&page=1 |date=19 February 2009}}". ABC News. 3 June 2005.</ref><ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4250709.stm Born to be a slave in Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806031036/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4250709.stm |date=6 August 2017}}". BBC News. 11 February 2005.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1357_slavery_today/page3.shtml |title=BBC World Service &#124; Slavery Today |publisher=BBC |access-date=3 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113131049/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1357_slavery_today/page3.shtml |archive-date=13 November 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Urban settlements ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Cities of Niger
! rowspan="2"| Rank !! rowspan="2" | City !! colspan="2" | Population !! rowspan="2" | Region
|-
! 2001 Census<ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=http://citypopulation.de/en/niger/cities/|title=Niger: Regions, Cities & Urban Centers – Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information|website=citypopulation.de|access-date=7 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321050141/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/niger/cities/|archive-date=21 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>!! 2012 Census<ref name="auto2"/>
|-
|align=right | 1. || [[Niamey]] || align=right | 690,286 || align=right | 978,029 || [[Niamey]]
|-
|align=right | 2. || [[Maradi, Niger|Maradi]] || align=right | 148,017 || align=right | 267,249 || [[Maradi Region]]
|-
|align=right | 3. || [[Zinder]] || align=right | 170,575 || align=right | 235,605 || [[Zinder Region]]
|-
|align=right | 4. || [[Tahoua]] || align=right | 73,002 || align=right | 117,826 || [[Tahoua Region]]
|-
|align=right | 5. || [[Agadez]] || align=right | 77,060 || align=right | 110,497 || [[Agadez Region]]
|-
|align=right | 6. || [[Arlit]] || align=right | 68,835 || align=right | 78,651 || [[Agadez Region]]
|-
|align=right | 7. || [[Birni N'Konni]] || align=right | 44,663 || align=right | 63,169 || [[Tahoua Region]]
|-
|align=right | 8. || [[Dosso, Niger|Dosso]] || align=right | 43,561 || align=right | 58,671 || [[Dosso Region]]
|-
|align=right | 9. || [[Gaya, Niger|Gaya]] || align=right | 28,385 || align=right | 45,465 || [[Dosso Region]]
|-
|align=right | 10. || [[Tessaoua]] || align=right | 31,667 || align=right | 43,409 || [[Maradi Region]]
|}

=== Ethnic groups ===
{{bar box
|title=Ethnic Groups in Niger (2001 Census)<ref name="auto3">{{cite web|url=http://www.stat-niger.org/frame/demographie.htm|title=DEMOGRAPHIE|website=stat-niger.org|access-date=7 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922235514/http://www.stat-niger.org/frame/demographie.htm|archive-date=22 September 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Ethnic Groups
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|Hausa|darkgreen|55.4}}
{{bar percent|Zarma & Songhai|purple|21}}
{{bar percent|Tuareg|red|9.3}}
{{bar percent|Fula|black|8.5}}
{{bar percent|Kanuri|orange|4.7}}
{{bar percent|Toubou|green|0.4}}
{{bar percent|Arab|darkblue|0.4}}
{{bar percent|Gurma|white|0.4}}
{{bar percent|Other|darkred|0.1}}
}}
{{Main|Hausa people|Zarma people|Tuareg people|Fula people|Kanuri people|Tubu people|Diffa Arabs|Gurma people}}
As in most West African countries, Niger has a wide variety of ethnic groups. The ethnic makeup of Niger in 2001 was as follows: [[Hausa people|Hausa]] (55.4%), [[Zarma people|Zarma]] & [[Songhay people (subgroup)|Songhay]] (21%), [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] (9.3%), [[Fula people|Fula]] ({{langx|fr|Peuls}}; {{langx|ff|Fulɓe}}) (8.5%), [[Kanuri people|Kanuri Manga]] (4.7%), [[Tubu people|Tubu]] (0.4%), [[Diffa Arabs|Arab]] (0.4%), [[Gurma people|Gourmantche]] (0.4%), other (0.1%).<ref name="ins-demographics"/> The [[Zarma people|Zarma]] and [[Songhay people (subgroup)|Songhay]] dominate the Dosso, Tillabéri, and Niamey regions, the [[Hausa people|Hausa]] dominate the Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua regions, [[Kanuri people|Kanuri Manga]] dominate the Diffa region, and [[Touaregs|Tuaregs]] dominate the Agadez region in Northern Niger.<ref name="auto3"/>

=== Languages ===
{{Main|Languages of Niger}}
French, inherited from the colonial period, was the [[official language]] until 2025, when [[Hausa language|Hausa]] replaced its status.<ref name=hausal>{{cite web|url=https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/niger-downgrades-french-as-it-distances-from-its-colonial-past-with-a-new-official/xl6ldbr|title=Niger downgrades French as it distances from its colonial past with a new official language|date=8 April 2025|first=Chinedu|last=Okafor|access-date=8 April 2025|work=Business Insider}}</ref> It is taught in school as a second language and serves as the administrative language. Niger joined the [[Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie]] in 1970,{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} though it suspended cooperation with the group months after the 2023 coup.<ref name=":5"/>

Niger has ten recognized [[national language]]s, namely [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Buduma language|Buduma]], [[Fula language|Fulfulde]], [[Gurma language|Gourmanchéma]], [[Hausa language|Hausa]], [[Kanuri language|Kanuri]], [[Zarma language|Zarma]] and [[Songhoyboro Ciine|Songhay]], [[Tuareg languages|Tamasheq]], [[Tasawaq language|Tassawaq]] and [[Tebu languages|Tebu]].<ref name="axl.cefan.ulaval.ca"/> Each is spoken as a first language primarily by the ethnic group with which it is associated.<ref>Ethologue. [https://www.ethnologue.com/country/NE/languages Niger languages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727114820/https://www.ethnologue.com/country/NE/languages |date=27 July 2018}}</ref><ref>Présidence de la République du Niger. [https://www.presidence.ne/gographie/ Le Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727090206/https://www.presidence.ne/gographie/ |date=27 July 2018}}</ref> Hausa and Zarma-Songhai, the two most spoken languages, are widely spoken throughout the country as first or second languages.

[[French language|French]] and [[English language|English]] are classified as "working" languages.

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Niger}}
{{bar box
|title=Religion in Niger (2001 Census)<ref name="census"/>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=religion
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|Islam|darkgreen|99.3}}
{{bar percent|Christianity|purple|0.3}}
{{bar percent|Animism|blue|0.2}}
{{bar percent|Irreligious|black|0.1}}
}}
Niger is a [[secular country]] and [[separation of state and religion]] is guaranteed by Articles 3 and 175 of the 2010 Constitution, which dictate that future amendments or revisions may not modify the secular nature of the republic of Niger. [[Religious freedom]] is protected by Article 30 of the same constitution. [[Islam]], widespread in the region since the 10th century, has greatly shaped the culture and mores of the people of Niger. Islam is the most dominant religion, practiced by 99.3% of the population according to the 2012 census.<ref name="census">{{cite web | url = http://www.stat-niger.org/statistique/file/RGPH2012/ETAT_STRUCTURE_POPULATION.pdf | title = Recensement général de la population et de l'habitat 2012 | last = Institut national de la statistique | date = November 2015 | access-date = 12 July 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180713042241/http://www.stat-niger.org/statistique/file/RGPH2012/ETAT_STRUCTURE_POPULATION.pdf | archive-date = 13 July 2018 | url-status = live}}</ref>

The other two main religions of Niger are [[Christianity]], practiced by 0.3% of the population, and Animism ([[African traditional religion|traditional indigenous religious beliefs]]), practiced by 0.2% of the population.<ref name="census"/> Christianity was established earlier in the country by missionaries during the French colonial years. Other urban Christian [[expatriate]] communities from Europe and West Africa are also present. [[Religious persecution]] has flared in recent years in Niger; Christian charity Open Doors now lists Niger as the 37th-most difficult country in which to be a Christian on their [[World Watch List]], 'reflecting how pressure is increasing on Christians in this [...] nation.'<ref>{{Cite web |title=Niger is number 33 on the World Watch List |url=https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/niger/ |access-date=2022-06-06 |website=opendoorsuk.org |language=en |archive-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606201822/https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/niger/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Relations between Muslims and Christians have generally been cordial, according to the respective representatives of Christian and Muslim groups in Niger.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=22 June 2022 |title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Niger |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/niger/ |access-date=2022-09-18 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US |archive-date=21 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921012612/https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/niger/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Niger, Kiota (06), people leaving mosque after prayers.jpg|thumb|Worshipers leaving the grand mosque of [[Kiota]] after [[Friday prayer]]s]]
The numbers of Animist practitioners are a point of contention. As recently as the late 19th century, much of the south center of the nation was unreached by Islam, and the conversion of some rural areas has been only partial. There are still areas where animist based festivals and traditions (such as the [[Bori (religion)|Bori religion]]) are practiced by [[syncretic]] Muslim communities (in some Hausa areas as well as among some [[Toubou]] and [[Wodaabe]] pastoralists), as opposed to several small communities who maintain their pre-Islamic religion. These include the Hausa-speaking [[Maouri people|Maouri]] (or ''Azna'', the Hausa word for "pagan") community in [[Dogondoutci]] in the south-south-west and the [[Kanuri language|Kanuri]]-speaking Manga near [[Zinder]], both of whom practice variations of the pre-Islamic Hausa [[Maguzawa]] religion. There are also some tiny Boudouma and Songhay animist communities in the south-west.<ref name=Decalo79/> Over the past decade, syncretic practices have become less common among Muslim Nigerien communities.<ref name=":2"/>

==== Islam ====
{{Main|Islam in Niger}}
The majority of Muslims in Niger are [[Sunni]], 7% are [[Shi'a]], 5% are [[Ahmadiyya]] and 20% [[non-denominational]].<ref name="pew">{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Religious_Affiliation/Muslim/the-worlds-muslims-full-report.pdf |title=The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity |access-date=2 June 2014 |date=9 August 2012 |publisher=Pew Forum on Religious & Public life |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024125551/http://www.pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Religious_Affiliation/Muslim/the-worlds-muslims-full-report.pdf |archive-date=24 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=report>[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90113.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216213927/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90113.htm |date=16 December 2019 }}. United States [[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor]] (14 September 2007). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].''</ref> Islam was spread into what is now Niger beginning in the 15th century, by both the expansion of the [[Songhai Empire]] in the west, and the influence of the [[Trans-Saharan trade]] traveling from the [[Maghreb]] and [[Egypt]]. [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] expansion from the north, culminating in their seizure of the far eastern oases from the [[Bornu Empire|Kanem–Bornu Empire]] in the 17th centuries, spread distinctively [[Berber mythology|Berber]] practices.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

[[File:Niger, Filingué (25), street scene with mosque.jpg|thumb|Small mosque in [[Filingue|Filingué]] ]]
Both [[Zarma people|Zarma]] and [[Hausa people|Hausa]] areas were greatly influenced by the 18th- and 19th-century [[Fula jihads|Fula-led]] [[Sufi]] brotherhoods, most notably the [[Sokoto Caliphate]] (in today's Nigeria). Modern Muslim practice in Niger is often tied to the [[Tijaniya]] [[Sufism|Sufi]] [[Tariqah|brotherhoods]], although there are small minority groups tied to [[Hammallism]] and [[Nyassist]] Sufi orders in the west, and the [[Sanusiya]] in the far north-east.<ref name=Decalo79>Decalo, James. ''Historical Dictionary of Niger''. Scarecrow Press, Metuchen, New Jersey&nbsp;– London, 1979. {{ISBN|0-8108-1229-0}}. pp. 156–7, 193–4.</ref>

A small center of followers of [[Salafi]] movement within Sunni Islam have appeared in the last thirty years, in the capital and in [[Maradi, Niger|Maradi]].<ref>Decalo (1997) p. 261–2, 158, 230.</ref> These small groups, linked to similar groups in [[Jos]], Nigeria, came to public prominence in the 1990s during a series of religious riots.<ref>Ben Amara, Ramzi. [http://www.sharia-in-africa.net/pages/staff/amara.php "The Development of the Izala Movement in Nigeria: Its Split, Relationship to Sufis and Perception of Sharia Implementation"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228012116/http://www.sharia-in-africa.net/pages/staff/amara.php |date=28 December 2016 }}. Research Summary (n.d.)</ref><ref>[http://www.conflict-prevention.net/page.php?id=40&formid=73&action=show&surveyid=1 Summary for Shedrack Best's ''Nigeria, The Islamist Challenge, the Nigerian 'Shiite' Movement'', 1999] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113202500/http://www.conflict-prevention.net/page.php?id=40&formid=73&action=show&surveyid=1 |date=13 January 2009 }}; conflict-prevention.net.</ref>

Despite this, Niger maintains a tradition as a [[secular state]], protected by law.<ref>[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5684.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2001: Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804183525/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5684.htm |date=4 August 2020 }}. United States [[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor]], 26 October 2001.</ref> Interfaith relations are deemed very good, and the forms of Islam traditionally practiced in most of the country are marked by tolerance of other faiths and lack of restrictions on personal freedom.<ref>t'Sas, Vincent. [http://www.iol.ie/~afifi/BICNews/Islam/islam19.htm "Islam is thriving in impoverished Niger"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228011857/http://www.iol.ie/~afifi/BICNews/Islam/islam19.htm |date=28 December 2016 }}, Reuters, 6 December 1997.</ref> Alcohol, such as the locally produced Bière Niger, is sold openly in most of the country.

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Niger}}
[[File:Niger primary school MCC3500.jpg|thumb|A primary classroom in Niger]]
The [[literacy rate]] of Niger is among the lowest in the world; in 2005 it was estimated to be only 28.7% (42.9% male and 15.1% female).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/ |title=The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |access-date=25 April 2014 |archive-date=30 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330032003/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Primary education in Niger is compulsory for six years.<ref name=ilab>[http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/Niger.htm "Niger"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205044526/http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/niger.htm |date=5 December 2008 }}. ''2001 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor''. [[Bureau of International Labor Affairs]], [[U.S. Department of Labor]] (2002). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].''</ref> The primary school enrollment and attendance rates are low, particularly for girls.<ref name=ilab/> In 1997, the gross primary enrollment rate was 29.3 percent, and in 1996, the net primary enrollment rate was 24.5 percent.<ref name=ilab/>

About 60 percent of children who finish primary schools are boys, as the majority of girls rarely attend school for more than a few years.<ref name=ilab/> Children are often forced to work rather than attend school, particularly during planting or [[harvest]] periods.<ref name=ilab/> [[Nomad]]ic children in the north of the country often do not have access to schools.<ref name=ilab/>

=== Health ===
{{Main|Health in Niger}}
The child mortality rate in Niger (deaths among children between the ages of 1 and 4) is high (248 per 1,000) due to generally poor health conditions and inadequate nutrition for most of the country's children. According to the organization [[Save the Children]], Niger has the world's highest [[infant mortality rate]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Jeff |last=Green |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/parenting/05/08/mothers.index/index.html |title=U.S. has second worst newborn death rate in modern world, report says |publisher=CNN |date=10 May 2006 |access-date=3 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209065002/http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/parenting/05/08/mothers.index/index.html |archive-date=9 February 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:HOPITAL DE REFERENCE DE MARADI.jpg|thumb|Maradi Reference Hospital]]
Niger also has the highest [[fertility rate]] in the world (6.49 births per woman according to 2017 estimates);<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html |title=The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |access-date=28 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028133713/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html |archive-date=28 October 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> this has resulted in nearly half (49.7%) of the Nigerien population being under age 15 in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.populationpyramid.net/de/niger/2020/ |title=Niger 2020 |website=populationpyramid.net |access-date=26 August 2021 |archive-date=19 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019062940/https://www.populationpyramid.net/de/niger/2020/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Niger has the 11th highest [[maternal mortality]] rate in the world at 820 deaths/100,000 live births.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2223rank.html?countryName=Niger&countryCode=ng&regionCode=afr&rank=11#ng |title=The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |access-date=25 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426214840/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2223rank.html?countryName=Niger&countryCode=ng&regionCode=afr&rank=11#ng |archive-date=26 April 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There were 3 physicians and 22 nurses per 100,000 persons in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.angellite.org.uk/where-we-work.html|title=Niger|access-date=20 May 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111123142319/http://www.angellite.org.uk/where-we-work.html|archive-date=23 November 2011}}</ref>

Clean drinking water is scarce by global standards, with significant differences between urban and rural areas. Niger is located at the bottom of the [[Human Development Index|UN Human Development Index]]. Roughly 92% of the population lives in rural areas in the Tillabéri region along the western frontier, and there is a chronic scarcity of clean water, particularly during the hot season, when temperatures regularly exceed 40 degrees Celsius.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Fresh water in Niger undercuts violence, as well as offering better living conditions|url=https://www.eib.org/en/stories/niger-water-development|access-date=2021-05-26|website=European Investment Bank|language=en|archive-date=30 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730152058/https://www.eib.org/en/stories/niger-water-development|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Water, Sanitation and Hygiene|url=https://www.unicef.org/niger/water-sanitation-and-hygiene|access-date=2021-05-26|website=unicef.org|language=en|archive-date=31 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531114940/https://www.unicef.org/niger/water-sanitation-and-hygiene|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Delivering water and sanitation services in Niger: challenges and results|url=https://blogs.worldbank.org/water/delivering-water-and-sanitation-services-niger-challenges-and-results|access-date=2021-05-26|website=blogs.worldbank.org|date=8 September 2016 |language=en|archive-date=31 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531120219/https://blogs.worldbank.org/water/delivering-water-and-sanitation-services-niger-challenges-and-results|url-status=live}}</ref>

Just 40% of the 30,000 inhabitants in [[Téra]], a city north-west of the country's capital of Niamey and near to the Burkina Faso border, have access to a working public water infrastructure.<ref name=":1"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Niger – OECD|url=https://www.oecd.org/countries/niger/|access-date=2021-05-26|website=oecd.org|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602085158/https://www.oecd.org/countries/niger/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Development Projects : Niger Basin Water Resources Development and Sustainable Ecosystems Management Project – P093806|url=https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P093806|access-date=2021-05-26|website=World Bank|language=en|archive-date=31 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531120255/https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P093806|url-status=live}}</ref> Société de Patrimoine des Eaux du Niger (SPEN), Niger's water authority, opened ten boreholes and built a water treatment plant in 2018 to provide potable water to [[Téra]] and the surrounding areas. The water supply ran out about a year later, and the water treatment facility was forced to close.<ref name=":1"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Niger: EIB finances drinking water supply project (EUR 21m)|url=https://www.eib.org/en/press/all/2018-099-la-bei-finance-un-projet-dalimentation-en-eau-potable-au-niger-21-meur|access-date=2021-05-26|website=European Investment Bank|language=en|archive-date=31 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531120007/https://www.eib.org/en/press/all/2018-099-la-bei-finance-un-projet-dalimentation-en-eau-potable-au-niger-21-meur|url-status=live}}</ref>

With the help of a donation fund from the [[Dutch government]], the [[European Investment Bank]] is collaborating with the Niger water authority to find solutions to Niger's water issues. The [[World Bank]] identified Niger as one of the 18 fragile regions of [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]. The EU bank has a history of investing in regions like these.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Fresh water in Niger undercuts violence, as well as offering better living conditions|url=https://www.eib.org/en/stories/niger-water-development|access-date=2021-05-18|website=European Investment Bank|language=en|archive-date=1 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701123551/https://www.eib.org/en/stories/niger-water-development|url-status=live}}</ref>

The European Investment Bank and the Niger Water Authority are looking at two options for dealing with Téra's water shortages. The first choice is to repair the water tank on the outskirts of town. Another choice is to treat and transport water from the Niger River, which is located more than 100 kilometres to the east. Villages between Téra and the [[Niger River]] will also have access to sewage. The European Investment Bank will also look at renewable energy as a way to save costs.<ref name=":0"/>

In the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI), Niger ranks 121st out of 127 countries with sufficient data. Niger's score of 34.1 indicates a serious level of hunger.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank|url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html|access-date=2024-12-27|website=Global Hunger Index (GHI) - peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels|language=en}}</ref>

In 2025, according to the [[World Health Organization]], Niger became the first African country and the fifth country worldwide to eradicate [[onchocerciasis]].<ref>{{cite web|author=<!-- not stated -->|date=30 January 2025|title=WHO verifies Niger as the first country in the African Region to eliminate onchocerciasis|url=https://www.who.int/news/item/30-01-2025-who-verifies-niger-as-the-first-country-in-the-african-region-to-eliminate-onchocerciasis|website=[[World Health Organization]]|access-date=10 February 2025}}</ref>