Nigeria’s food inflation rate climbed to 20.31 per cent in July 2026, rising by 2.79 percentage points from 17.52 per cent in June, according to the latest Consumer Price Index report by the National Bureau of Statistics.
The increase marks the fifth consecutive monthly rise since March 2026 and pushes food inflation above the 20 per cent threshold for the first time since February 2021.
The NBS attributed the increase to higher average prices of several food items, including crayfish, fresh pepper, onions, carrots, rice, tomatoes, garri, plantain, beef, eggs and ginger.
On a month-on-month basis, food inflation also increased to 5.56 per cent in July, compared with 3.75 per cent in June.
Adamawa recorded the highest year-on-year food inflation at 51.36 per cent, followed by Katsina at 30.84 per cent and Zamfara at 30.65 per cent. Borno recorded the lowest rate at -0.31 per cent.
Despite the surge in food prices, Nigeria’s headline inflation eased to 15.43 per cent in July, down from 15.91 per cent in June. Core inflation also declined from 15.92 per cent to 14.97 per cent.
The figures present a mixed picture of Nigeria’s inflation situation: overall inflation is slowing, but food prices are continuing to put pressure on household budgets.
