Poverty and Other Answered Prayers
Nigerians pray more than every country in the world except Afghanistan, according to a Pew Research poll on the importance of prayers and religion in 110 countries and territories.
The 95% of Nigerians who pray daily surpass the world average of 49%.
Prayer shows connections with the level of prosperity or poverty, peace or instability, and the mental well-being or struggles of people in a country.
People who pray every day are most likely found in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and North Africa (MENA).
People who pray least are most likely found in the advanced economies of Europe and Asia.
In rich societies, it is unclear whether it is their prosperity that makes them pray less or their habit of praying less that makes them prosper more.
In poor societies too, it is unclear whether it is poverty that forces them to pray every day for help or their habit of praying frequently that leads to poverty and its manifest human suffering.
Prosperity: An Answer to Prayers?
Evidence shows people become poorer in countries like Nigeria, where people pray to be prosperous.
Prayer alone is unlikely to lift people out of poverty without self-help, accompanied by social and economic interventions, the Pew Research data indicates.
In addition to prayer, 6 of the top 10 countries where people say religion is very important in their lives are in Sub-Saharan Africa, home to the world's poorest people.
Again, citizens of advanced economies in Europe and Asia are less likely to say religion is very important in their lives.
The Pew Research results support multiple findings that link very prayerful and religious countries with high poverty rates.
The question then is, can people pray their way to poverty?
Well, those living in poverty are people who often pray for prosperity.
However, the Gallup Poll suggests religion or prayer serves a more practical purpose in the world's poorest nations, helping people cope with the daily challenges of providing for themselves and their families.
Then, it appears Nigerians’ prayers are not necessarily about cultivating religious values of piety and social justice.
While 95% of Nigerians pray every day, the second highest rate in the world, only 88% believe religion is very important in their lives, less than the rate in the world's top 10 countries.
With the high crime and corruption rate in the country, it appears people pray to prosper and not to cultivate religious values of honesty, humanity, and hard work that result in social cohesion and economic development elsewhere.
Poverty: An Answer to Prayers
Poverty is more widespread in countries with a higher percentage of people who pray daily, albeit with a few exceptions. Conversely, the lowest poverty rates are found in countries with the lowest levels of daily prayer.
Afghanistan and Nigeria, which have the highest number of people who pray daily, also have the largest populations living below the poverty line of $2.15 per day.
In contrast, both the poverty rate and the number of people who pray daily are low in China and the United Kingdom.
The World Bank classifies anyone living on less than $2.15 a day as living in extreme poverty.
In 2022, the highest population who live below the poverty of $2.15 per day are in Sub-Saharan Africa, the world's most religious and prayerful region.
As prayers and other religious rituals soothe the minds of devotees in poor countries, they often stop there and fail to put in the work (schooling, skills, science, and social service) that lifts people in other countries out of the vicious cycle of poverty.
While prayer can provide mental comfort and a sense of hope, it has not addressed the structural and economic defects that keep people in poverty, in Nigeria and its peer countries.
Peace: Another Answered Prayer?
Poverty is prevalent in highly religious countries, while societal peace is low.
Global peace has declined for the 5th consecutive year, but the most peaceful countries are not the most prayerful or religious ones.
Interestingly, Europe, home to the least prayerful people, remains the most peaceful region in the world, the 2024 Global Peace Index shows.
The Peace index measures the number of ongoing domestic and international conflicts in a country, societal safety and security, and the strength of its military.
People’s prayer rate has a negative correlation with the level of peace in their country. So, the factors contributing to societal stability and economic viability extend beyond just religious rituals or the people’s frequency of prayer.
Nigeria is not different. In the last 7 years, the level of peace in Nigeria has been either low or very low. Its level of societal peace deteriorated in 2024.
The more people pray, the more they prey on themselves, and the less the peace in their communities.
Here, it is also unclear whether people are praying often because they lack peace and desire it, or it is their (kind of) prayer that leads to less peace.
This much is clear. People who lack peace the most are those who pray frequently for peace.
Evidence from places where people pray less is that their peace and progress are influenced more by strategic planning, effective leadership, and a sense of collective ownership than by prayers.
So much for societal peace and prayer rates.
What about the prevalence of inner peace in individuals who pray?
This gives a different outcome.
The prevalence of depressive disorders, which reflects the level of (absence of) inner peace in individuals across countries, is not significantly different between more religious and prayerful countries and the less praying and pietistic ones.
Sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, and poor concentration characterise depressive disorders.
Depression can be long-lasting or recurrent, substantially impairing an individual’s ability to function at work or school or cope with daily life. At its most severe levels, depression can lead to suicide.
The pattern of depressive disorders is remarkably similar in countries with both high and low proportions of people who pray daily.
In fact, available studies show that individuals who are more committed to their religious faith and spiritual convictions are happier, and have more coping resources at their disposal than those for whom religion and spirituality are less important.
Those who consistently endorse statements such as “religion is the most important influence in my life”—are twice as likely as those lowest in spiritual commitment to consider themselves “very happy.”
A report by Gallup reinforced the notion that the social and psychological benefits of religion are most pronounced in the world’s poorest nations.
Here’s the point of balance: “The effects differ across countries, and history has demonstrated that religion can also be linked to severe conflicts. The highlight is that development strategies in the world's poorest regions should aim to harness the positive influence of religion by fostering conditions like interfaith harmony and minimal state interference, where its benefits are most likely to thrive,” the report shows.
With its alluring promise of hope, prayer provides burdened Nigerians with relief and spiritual solace. Yet, at the community, county, and country level, the underlying burden of ethnic strife and human suffering remains unresolved.
Thanks for reading this Data Dive. Hope we find relief from prayers and the resolve to labour for peace and shared prosperity.