By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
Nigeria’s headline inflation rate increased to 15.69 percent in April 2026, up 0.31 percentage points from the 15.38 percent recorded in March 2026.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced the increase in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Friday, May 15.
According to the report, the headline inflation rate in April 2026 was 2.13 percent on a month-on-month basis, which is 2.05 percent lower than the 4.18 percent recorded in March 2026.
It added that the rate of increase in the average price level in April was lower than what was recorded in March 2026.
The NBS stated, “In April 2026, the Headline inflation rate rose to 15.69 percent, up from 15.38 percent in March 2026 and stood at 26.82 percent in the same month of the preceding year (April 2025).
“Looking at the movement, the April 2026 Headline inflation rate showed an increase of 0.31 percent compared to the March 2026 Headline inflation rate.
“On a month-on-month basis, the Headline inflation rate in April 2026 was 2.13 percent, which was 2.05 percent lower than the rate recorded in March 2026 (4.18 percent). This means that in April 2026, the rate of increase in the average price level was lower than the rate of increase in the average price level in March 2026.”
The report noted that the CPI increased to 138.3 in April 2026, reflecting a 2.9-point increase from the preceding month (135.4).
It stated that the percentage change in the average CPI for the twelve months ending April 2026 over the average for the previous twelve-month period was 19.16 percent, a 0.17 percent decrease from 19.33 percent recorded in April 2025.
According to the NBS, the food inflation rate in April 2026 was 3.63 percent on a month-on-month basis, down by 0.54 percentage points from the 4.17 percent recorded in March 2026.
On a year-on-year basis, food inflation was 16.06 percent and stood at 24.68 percent in the same month of the preceding year (April 2025).
The bureau attributed this to the rate of change in the average prices of such food products as millet whole grain, yam flour, ginger (fresh), beef, garri, yam tuber, pepper (fresh), crayfish, cassava tuber, beans, Irish potatoes, tomatoes (fresh), wheat grain (sold loose), soy beans, guinea corn, plantain, carrots (fresh), etc.
The average annual rate of food inflation for the twelve months ending April 2026, relative to the previous twelve-month average, was 17.55 percent, which was 17.05 percentage points lower than the average annual rate of change recorded in April 2025 (34.60 percent).
According to the report, core inflation, which measures the rate of change of all items excluding volatile agricultural products and energy, stood at 15.86 percent in April 2026 on a year-on-year basis, indicating a 10.19 percentage point decline when compared to the 26.05 percent recorded in April 2025.
On a month-on-month basis, the core inflation rate was 1.03 percent in April 2026, down by 3.0 percent compared to March 2026 (4.03 percent).
The average twelve-month annual inflation rate was 20.24 percent for the twelve months ending April 2026, which was 7.01 percentage points lower than the 27.26 percent recorded in April 2025.
The statistics bureau stated that there was a decrease in urban and rural inflation rates in April 2026.
In April 2026, the urban inflation rate was 15.40 percent on a year-on-year basis. On a month-on-month basis, the urban inflation rate was 1.86 percent in April 2026, down by 1.3 percent compared to the 3.16 percent recorded in March 2026.
The corresponding twelve-month average for the urban inflation rate was 19.07 percent in April 2026. This was 1.69 percentage points lower compared to the 20.76 percent reported in April 2025.
The rural inflation rate in April 2026 was 16.36 percent on a year-on-year basis. On a month-on-month basis, the rural inflation rate in April 2026 was 2.80 percent, down by 3.93 percent compared to March 2026 (6.73 percent).
The corresponding twelve-month average for the rural inflation rate in April 2026 was 18.99 percent, showing 1.37 percentage points higher compared to the 17.63 percent recorded in April 2025.
A state-level analysis of the NBS report shows that on a year-on-year basis, the all-items inflation rate in April 2026 was highest in Sokoto (25.74 percent), Bauchi (22.52 percent), and Zamfara (22.03 percent), while Edo (5.91 percent), Borno (6.72 percent), and Jigawa (7.04 percent) recorded the lowest rise in headline inflation on a year-on-year basis.
On a month-on-month basis, however, April 2026 recorded the highest increases in headline inflation in Niger (5.66 percent), Kano (4.50 percent), and Plateau (4.39 percent), while Bayelsa (0.64 percent), Enugu (0.98 percent), and Rivers (1.02 percent) recorded the lowest rise in the month-on-month inflation.
In April 2026, the highest increases in food inflation on a year-on-year basis were recorded in Enugu (32.67 percent), Kwara (30.77 percent), and Adamawa (30.14 percent).
On the other hand, Borno (1.67 percent), Jigawa (6.17 percent), and Taraba (7.19 percent) recorded the slowest rise in food inflation on a year-on-year basis.
On a month-on-month basis, however, April 2026 food inflation was highest in Niger (8.53 percent), Bauchi (6.78 percent), and Kogi (6.72 percent), while Kebbi (0.23 percent), Katsina (0.47 percent), and Bayelsa (1.29 percent) recorded the slowest rise in food inflation on a month-on-month basis.
