Nigeria’s headline inflation rate fell for the second consecutive month, dropping by 0.48 percentage point to 15.43 per cent in July 2026, from 15.91 per cent recorded in June.
The latest figure was contained in the July 2026 Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)
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The NBS said the July figure means that the average price level in the economy increased at a slower rate compared with the previous month.
On a year-on-year basis, the July 2026 headline inflation rate stood at 15.43 per cent, compared with 24.94 per cent recorded in July 2025.
The bureau also reported that the headline inflation rate on a month-on-month basis stood at 1.57 per cent in July, representing a slight decline from the 1.66 per cent recorded in June.
Food Inflation Rises to 20.31%
Despite the decline in overall headline inflation, food inflation moved in the opposite direction.
The food inflation rate increased by 2.79 percentage points to 20.31 per cent in July, up from 17.52 per cent in June.
The NBS attributed the increase to changes in the average prices of several food items, including crayfish, fresh pepper, onions, carrots, rice, water yam, tomatoes, garri, plantain, beef, eggs, guinea corn, ginger and plantain flour.
The development means that while the overall pace of inflation slowed, consumers continued to face significant pressure from rising food prices.
Adamawa Records Highest Food Inflation
According to the NBS, Adamawa recorded the highest year-on-year food inflation at 51.36 per cent in July.
It was followed by Katsina at 30.84 per cent and Zamfara at 30.65 per cent.
On the other hand, Borno recorded the slowest year-on-year food inflation at -0.31 per cent, followed by Nasarawa at 6.88 per cent and Kebbi at 12.50 per cent.
On a month-on-month basis, Adamawa also recorded the highest food inflation at 17.02 per cent, followed by Lagos at 13.48 per cent and Borno at 13.26 per cent.
Jigawa recorded the lowest month-on-month movement at -3.68 per cent, followed by Kebbi at -3.67 per cent and Bauchi at -1.85 per cent.
The latest figures present a mixed picture for the Nigerian economy: headline inflation continued to moderate, but the renewed increase in food inflation indicates that the cost of essential food items remains a major challenge for households.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), July 2026 Consumer Price Index Report.
