Abuja: Nigeria’s headline inflation rate recorded a slight decrease to 15.10% in January, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This figure reflects a 0.05% reduction from the 15.15% rate observed in December 2025, as detailed in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Inflation Report released in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the report highlighted a significant year-on-year decrease, with January’s inflation rate standing at 12.51% lower compared to January 2025, which was at 27.61%. On a monthly basis, the headline inflation rate was -2.88% in January, showing a decrease of 3.42% from December 2025’s rate of 0.54%.
The report identified food and non-alcoholic beverages, restaurants and accommodation services, and transport as the primary contributors to the annual inflation rate. Conversely, the sectors contributing the least were recreation, sports, culture, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, narcotics, insurance, and financial services.
The CPI showed a decline to 127.4 in January, marking a 3.8-point drop from December 2025’s figure of 131.2. Food inflation on a year-on-year basis was 8.89%, a 20.73 percentage point decrease from January 2025. The month-on-month food inflation rate in January was -6.02%, a drop of 5.66% compared to December 2025.
The report attributed the decrease in food inflation to lower average prices of staple items such as water yam, eggs, green peas, and several others. Core inflation, excluding volatile agricultural produce and energy, was 17.72% on a year-on-year basis, a 7.55% decline from January 2025.
Urban inflation recorded a year-on-year rate of 15.36%, while rural inflation was at 14.44%. The states of Benue, Kogi, and Abuja experienced the highest year-on-year inflation rates, whereas Ebonyi, Katsina, and Imo saw the lowest.
On a month-on-month basis, Imo, Ondo, and Kaduna had the highest rates, while Cross Rivers, Ogun, and Kogi witnessed declines. In terms of food inflation, Kogi, Benue, and Adamawa were the highest on a year-on-year basis, whereas Ebonyi, Abia, and Imo recorded the slowest increases. On a monthly basis, Imo, Akwa Ibom, and Zamfara had notable figures.