Nigeria’s food inflation cooled sharply in September 2025, dropping to 16.87% year-on-year from 37.77% in the same month last year, 20.9 percentage point decline.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) attributed the drop mainly to the change in the base year, which altered how prices are compared across periods.
On a month-on-month basis, food inflation fell into negative territory at -1.57%, down 3.22 percentage points from 1.65% in August.
This means that prices, on average, were cheaper in September than in August.
The NBS said the decline reflected lower prices of staples such as maize, garri, beans, millet, potatoes, onions, eggs, tomatoes, and fresh pepper.
The average annual food inflation rate for the twelve months ending September 2025 stood at 24.06%, down 13.47 percentage points from the 37.53% recorded in the previous year.
This sustained slowdown suggests that government interventions and improved food supply chains may be gradually easing price pressures.
State-by-State Breakdown
Food inflation trends varied widely across states. Ekiti (28.68%), Rivers (24.18%), and Nasarawa (22.74%) recorded the steepest annual increases in food prices, while Bauchi (2.81%), Niger (8.38%), and Anambra (8.41%) saw the slowest rise. Month-on-month, Zamfara (15.62%), Ekiti (12.77%), and Sokoto (12.55%) recorded significant spikes, while Akwa Ibom (-12.97%), Borno (-12.95%), and Cross River (-10.36%) saw notable declines, highlighting how uneven the food inflation landscape remains across regions.
Core Inflation Also Eases
Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, stood at 19.53% in September 2025, down from 27.43% a year earlier. Month-on-month, the core rate eased slightly to 1.42% from 1.43% in August. The twelve-month average also declined to 22.39%, compared to 25.64% last year, reflecting a broader easing in non-food price pressures.
Headline Inflation Trends
Nigeria’s headline inflation rate eased to 18.02% in September from 20.12% in August, while the Consumer Price Index rose slightly to 127.7 from 126.8. Year-on-year, headline inflation dropped 14.68 percentage points from 32.70% in September 2024, another sign that inflationary momentum is slowing.
Still, while the figures show a welcome decline, the base-year adjustment means the relief might be more statistical than practical. Many households continue to feel the pinch of high living costs, with analysts warning that sustained policy consistency is key to maintaining this progress.