The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says Nigeria’s headline inflation rate fell marginally to 15.39 per cent in August 2026, from 15.43 per cent recorded in July.
The bureau disclosed this in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Wednesday, noting that the latest figure represented a 0.04 percentage-point decline from the previous month.
On a month-on-month basis, headline inflation stood at 0.71 per cent in August, significantly lower than the 1.57 per cent recorded in July.
According to the NBS, the decline indicates that the average price level increased at a slower pace in August than it did in the preceding month.
Food Inflation Drops To 19.57%
The NBS also reported that food inflation stood at 19.57 per cent year-on-year in August 2026, down from 25.30 per cent recorded in August 2025.
On a month-on-month basis, food inflation fell to 1.02 per cent, representing a 4.55 percentage-point decline from the 5.56 per cent recorded in July.
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The bureau attributed the decline mainly to changes in the average prices of commodities including palm oil, carrots, pepper, onions, cassava flour, beef, yam flour, water yam, melon (egusi), fresh ginger, fresh fish, Irish potatoes, wheat grain, frozen chicken and turkey meat.
The latest figures indicate that although food prices continued to rise in August, the pace of increase slowed considerably compared with July.
Adamawa Records Highest Food Inflation
On a year-on-year basis, Adamawa recorded the highest food inflation rate at 38.85 per cent, followed by Zamfara at 37.96 per cent and Bayelsa at 36.20 per cent.
The slowest year-on-year increases were recorded in Borno at -4.04 per cent, Jigawa at -0.23 per cent and Kebbi at 3.47 per cent.
On a month-on-month basis, Katsina recorded the highest food inflation at 9.48 per cent, followed by Rivers at 8.86 per cent and Osun at 8.32 per cent.
Meanwhile, Taraba recorded the lowest month-on-month food inflation at -12.42 per cent, followed by Borno at -12.15 per cent and Bauchi at -8.88 per cent.
The latest NBS figures come amid continued concerns over the cost of living and food affordability across the country, with inflation remaining a major economic issue for households and businesses.