Headline inflation eased from 15.91 per cent in June, but food inflation accelerated sharply on a monthly basis, with Adamawa recording the highest food-price increase…..
Nigeria’s headline inflation rate eased to 15.43 per cent in July 2026, down from 15.91 per cent recorded in June, according to the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The latest figure represents a 0.48 percentage-point decline in the headline inflation rate on a month-on-month comparison of the annual inflation readings.
The NBS disclosed this in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Monday.
The moderation indicates that the overall pace at which consumer prices increased over the year slowed in July, although significant pressure remained in the food segment.
On a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate stood at 1.57 per cent in July, compared with 1.66 per cent in June.
This represents a 0.09 percentage-point decline, indicating that the average level of prices increased at a slightly slower pace during the month.
The NBS explained that the July figure means the rate of increase in the average price level was lower than that recorded in June.
However, the easing in headline inflation was accompanied by renewed pressure in food prices.
Food inflation increased to 20.31 per cent year-on-year in July 2026.
Although this was substantially lower than the 26.20 per cent recorded in July 2025, food prices continued to exert pressure on households.
The NBS attributed the year-on-year movement to changes in the prices of several food items, including rice, water yam and plantain.
Other products contributing to the movement included crayfish, fresh pepper, onions, carrots, tomatoes, garri, beef, eggs, guinea corn, ginger and plantain flour.
On a month-on-month basis, the situation was more pronounced.
Food inflation rose to 5.56 per cent in July, up sharply from 3.75 per cent in June.
That represents a 1.82 percentage-point increase within a single month.
The regional figures show significant differences in food-price movements across the country.
Adamawa recorded the highest month-on-month food inflation at 17.02 per cent in July.
It was followed by Lagos at 13.48 per cent and Borno at 13.26 per cent.
At the other end of the scale, some states recorded declines in monthly food inflation.
Jigawa recorded a 3.68 per cent decline, while Kebbi fell by 3.67 per cent and Bauchi recorded a 1.85 per cent decline.
On a year-on-year basis, Adamawa also recorded the highest food inflation rate among the states, at 51.36 per cent in July.
Katsina followed with 30.84 per cent, while Zamfara recorded 30.65 per cent.
The slowest year-on-year increases were recorded in Borno at -0.31 per cent, Nasarawa at 6.88 per cent and Kebbi at 12.50 per cent.
The figures highlight the uneven impact of food-price pressures across the country, with consumers in some states facing substantially higher increases than the national average.
The July data presents a mixed picture for Nigeria’s inflation outlook.
On one hand, the decline in headline inflation and the slight moderation in monthly inflation suggest that broader price pressures may be easing.
On the other hand, the sharp monthly increase in food inflation indicates that households continue to face significant pressure when purchasing essential food items.
The divergence between the overall inflation figure and monthly food inflation will therefore remain an important factor for policymakers and consumers as the country heads into the second half of the year.
