By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
On Monday, December 15, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, which showed that Nigeria’s headline inflation rate eased further in November 2025 to 14.45 per cent.
The NBS stated that the headline inflation rate declined by 1.6 percentage points month-on-month to 14.45 percent in November, compared to 16.05 per cent recorded in October 2025.
It added that the CPI rose to 130.5 points in November 2025 from 128.9 points in October, reflecting a 1.6-point increase month-on-month.
According to the NBS’s report, inflation pressures varied widely across states, driven by differences in food supply, urbanisation, transport costs, insecurity, and exposure to oil-driven price shocks.
Following the November 2025 CPI report, Impact Nigeria Newspaper highlights the 10 states with the highest inflation rates as of November 2025.
Rivers
The first on the list is oil-rich Rivers State, which emerged as the state with the highest rate of inflation in November 2025, with 17.8 per cent all-items inflation.
The state recorded a food inflation rate of 16.1 per cent in November. On a month-on-month basis, food inflation increased by 1.8 per cent, while all-items inflation rose by 3.4 per cent. This indicates that both food and non-food prices contributed significantly to the galloping inflation in the state, with non-food costs rising faster.
Ogun
Closely following Rivers on the list is Ogun, which recorded a year-on-year all-items inflation rate of 17.6 per cent and food inflation of 16.5 per cent.
Although food prices declined in the state by 1.8 per cent month-on-month, all-items inflation still increased by 1.4 per cent.
The state’s proximity to Lagos continues to expose residents to urban spillover effects, including higher rents, transport fares, and service costs, all of which contributed to keeping Ogun among the states with the highest rate of inflation in November.
Ekiti
With a year-on-year all-items inflation rate of 16.8 per cent and food inflation of 14.3 per cent, Ekiti ranks among the 10 states with the highest rate of inflation in November.
The NBS data show that both food and all-items inflation fell month-on-month by 1.8 per cent and 0.5 per cent, respectively. However, non-food components, such as housing, education, and transportation, remain key cost drivers of inflation in the state, despite a moderation in food prices.
Bayelsa
Bayelsa recorded a year-on-year all-items inflation rate of 16.7 per cent and a food inflation rate of 13.7 per cent in November.
Compared to the previous month, food prices fell by 1.7 per cent month-on-month in November while all-items inflation rose sharply by 6.6 per cent, making it the highest monthly increase recorded among all states.
This difference in the inflation figures in the month shows that Bayelsa’s cost-of-living pressures were driven mostly by non-food items.
Kogi
The fifth state in the list is Kogi, which witnessed a year-on-year all-items inflation rate of 16.5 per cent. The state, however, recorded the highest food inflation rate among the top 10 states of 17.8 per cent in November.
Food inflation climbed by 1.8 per cent on a month-on-month basis, while all-items inflation rose by 1.5 per cent month-on-month, indicating that the state’s inflation was driven primarily by higher food prices.
Osun
In November, Osun recorded a year-on-year all-items inflation rate of 16.4 percent and a food inflation figure of 14.4 per cent.
Unlike other states with the highest rate of inflation in November, Osun recorded a month-on-month decline in both food and all-items inflation of 0.8 per cent and 0.1 per cent, respectively.
The November 2025 data, however, shows that food inflation remained close to the headline rate on a year-on-year basis, indicating that while short-term relief emerged, household inflation in the state was significantly driven by food costs.
Benue
Among the states with the highest rate of inflation in November is Benue, reputed as Nigeria’s food basket. The state recorded 16.3 per cent all-items inflation year-on-year, with food inflation at 13.1 per cent.
Though food inflation in the state remained below the headline rate of 14.45 per cent on an annual basis, it soared on a month-on-month basis by 4.4 per cent compared to a 2.2 per cent increase in all-items inflation.
Despite being one of Nigeria’s largest food-producing states, the November inflation data indicate that food prices were the dominant inflation drivers in the state.
Niger
The North-Central state of Niger had 16.2 per cent year-on-year all-items inflation and a significantly lower food inflation rate of 10.1 per cent.
On a month-on-month basis, however, the state recorded an accelerated inflation figure, with food prices rising by 3.1 per cent and all-items inflation increasing by 3.9 per cent.
Jigawa
In the month under review, Jigawa State posted 16 per cent all-items inflation year-on-year and food inflation at 12.2 per cent, which shows the impact of non-food items in driving up the cost of living in the state.
The NBS data also showed that on a month-on-month basis, food inflation surged by 3.1 per cent, while all-items inflation rose by 2.8 per cent.
The variation seen in the lower annual food inflation relative to headline inflation indicates non-food items, such as transport costs, clothing, housing, and services, significantly played a role in the overall inflation figures recorded in Jigawa State.
Kwara
The 10th is Kwara, which recorded an all-items inflation rate of 15.9 per cent year on year.
The state recorded a food inflation of 13.4 per cent year-on-year, lower than the headline rate of 14.45 per cent.
While food prices fell by 2.3 per cent on a month-on-month basis, the all-items inflation increased marginally by 0.1 per cent.
This indicates that non-food items such as transport, housing, and services were the likely drivers of inflation in the state.
