Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose slightly to 15.69 per cent in April 2026 from 15.38 per cent recorded in March, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics.
The report showed that the Consumer Price Index increased to 138.3 in April, representing a 2.9-point rise from 135.4 recorded in the previous month.
However, the data also showed signs of easing price pressures on a month-on-month basis, indicating a slower pace of increase in the general price level.
Headline inflation on a month-on-month basis stood at 2.13 per cent in April, lower than the 4.18 per cent recorded in March.
“This means that in April 2026, the rate of increase in the average price level was lower than the rate recorded in March 2026,” the bureau stated.
Food Inflation Remains Key Driver
Food inflation remained a major contributor to rising consumer prices, although the pace of increase moderated slightly during the month.
The food inflation rate stood at 16.06 per cent year-on-year in April 2026, compared to 24.68 per cent recorded in April 2025.
On a month-on-month basis, food inflation slowed to 3.63 per cent in April from 4.17 per cent in March.
According to the NBS, the rise in food prices was driven by increases in the prices of staple items such as millet, yam flour, fresh ginger, beef, garri, yam tubers, pepper, crayfish, cassava tubers, beans, tomatoes, soybeans and plantain.
The average annual rate of food inflation for the twelve months ending April 2026 stood at 17.55 per cent, significantly lower than the 34.60 per cent recorded in April 2025.
Urban, Rural Inflation Moderate
Urban inflation stood at 15.40 per cent year-on-year in April, while rural inflation was higher at 16.36 per cent.
On a month-on-month basis, both categories recorded slower increases compared to March.
Urban inflation slowed to 1.86 per cent in April from 3.16 per cent in March, while rural inflation dropped to 2.80 per cent from 6.73 per cent.
The twelve-month average urban inflation rate was 19.07 per cent, lower than the 20.76 per cent recorded a year earlier.
Meanwhile, the twelve-month average rural inflation rate rose slightly to 18.99 per cent from 17.63 per cent in April 2025.
Sokoto, Bauchi, Zamfara Record Highest Inflation Rates
At the state level, Sokoto recorded the highest headline inflation rate at 25.74 per cent, followed by Bauchi at 22.52 per cent and Zamfara at 22.03 per cent.
Edo recorded the slowest rise in headline inflation at 5.91 per cent, while Borno and Jigawa posted 6.72 per cent and 7.04 per cent respectively.
On a month-on-month basis, Niger recorded the highest inflation increase at 5.66 per cent, followed by Kano at 4.50 per cent and Plateau at 4.39 per cent.
Bayelsa, Enugu and Rivers recorded the slowest monthly increases.
For food inflation, Enugu recorded the highest year-on-year increase at 32.67 per cent, followed by Kwara at 30.77 per cent and Adamawa at 30.14 per cent.
Borno, Jigawa and Taraba recorded the slowest increases in food inflation during the period under review.
Core Inflation Declines
Core inflation, which excludes volatile agricultural produce and energy prices, stood at 15.86 per cent year-on-year in April 2026, down from 26.05 per cent recorded in April 2025.
On a month-on-month basis, core inflation slowed significantly to 1.03 per cent in April from 4.03 per cent in March.
The average annual core inflation rate for the twelve months ending April 2026 stood at 20.24 per cent, lower than the 27.26 per cent recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
