By Emmanuel Onyedika
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has announced that Nigeria’s headline inflation rate dropped from 15.91 per cent in June to 15.43 per cent in July 2026, reflecting a decrease of 0.48 per cent.
In its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released Monday, the bureau stated: “On a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in July 2026 was 1.57 per cent, which was 0.09 per cent lower than the rate recorded in June 2026 (1.66 per cent). This means that in July 2026, the rate of increase in the average price level was lower than the rate of increase in the average price level in June 2026.”
Meanwhile, food inflation rose sharply, reaching 20.31 per cent year-on-year in July. NBS explained: “On a month-on-month basis, the Food inflation rate in July 2026 was 5.56 per cent, up by 1.82 percentage points from June 2026 (3.75 per cent). This can be attributed to the rate of change in the average prices of the following products: Crayfish, Pepper (Fresh), Onions (Fresh), Carrots (Fresh), Rice, Water Yam, Tomatoes (Fresh), Garri, Plantain, Beef, Egg, Guinea Corn, Ginger, Plantain Flour, etc.”
Food inflation was highest month-on-month in Adamawa (17.02 per cent), Lagos (13.48 per cent), and Borno (13.26 per cent), while declines were recorded in Jigawa (-3.68 per cent), Kebbi (-3.67 per cent), and Bauchi (-1.85 per cent).
Year-on-year, food inflation peaked in Adamawa (51.36 per cent), Katsina (30.84 per cent), and Zamfara (30.65 per cent), while Borno (-0.31 per cent), Nasarawa (6.88 per cent), and Kebbi (12.50 per cent) recorded the slowest increases.
The report highlights a mixed picture of easing headline inflation alongside persistent food price pressures, underscoring the challenges households face in managing rising living costs.