Multidimensional poverty remains a persistent challenge in Nigeria, with regional disparities and livelihood vulnerabilities contributing to deprivation beyond income measures. Understanding the drivers and movers of multidimensional poverty is crucial for policy targeting poverty reduction and economic empowerment. Using data from 1,614 farming households across 26 Local Government Areas in 13 Nigerian states, a multidimensional poverty index (MDPI) was computed as the dependent variable. A beta regression framework was applied to determine the influence of socio-economic, infrastructural, occupational, and household-level factors. The model explained 73.7% of the variation in multidimensional poverty with significant State-level differences, particularly, there was higher poverty in Osun, Oyo, Kaduna, and the FCT compared to Benue. Human capital indicators, particularly tertiary education, can cause up to 3.3% reduction in poverty, echoing findings that education is a pathway out of deprivation (Ogunniyi et al., 2020; Alkire & Santos, 2014). Surfaced access roads and respondents living in urban areas experienced lower poverty, consistent with studies on infrastructure and rural welfare (Fan, Nyange, & Rao, 2005). Energy access emerged as a critical factor, reliance on fuelwood increased poverty, while access to gas, solar, and public power supply significantly reduced it, supporting evidence on the welfare impacts of modern energy access (Barnes, Khandker, & Samad, 2011). Occupational diversification into non-agricultural employment (e.g., civil/public service, forestry, healthcare) was associated with lower poverty, aligning with World Bank (2022) findings on livelihood diversification. Conversely, reliance on maternity homes and native doctors increased deprivation, while access to hospitals reduced it, reinforcing health–poverty linkages (Wagstaff, 2002). Non-factor variables revealed that higher income and asset values decreased poverty, whereas security shocks (β = 0.443, p < .001), unemployment (β = 0.503, p < .001), and 60 underemployment (β = 0.134, p < .001) strongly heightened vulnerability, consistent with recent Nigerian studies (Akinyemi et al., 2023). The findings underscore the multidimensional nature of poverty in Nigeria, shaped by structural, household, and livelihood factors. Policies that expand educational access, improve rural infrastructure, enhance modern energy supply, and foster non-agricultural employment while mitigating security risks are essential pathways for poverty reduction. These results corroborate earlier empirical studies on the critical role of human capital, infrastructure, and livelihood diversification in addressing multidimensional poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa.