The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose to 15.38 percent in March 2026, up from 15.06 percent recorded in February.
The latest figure marks the first increase in 12 months, following a steady decline that began in April 2025, according to the bureau’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Wednesday.
“The Headline inflation rate rose to 15.38%, up from 15.06% in February 2026 and stood 27.35% in the same month of the preceding year (March 2025),” NBS said.
The report shows a 0.32 percentage point increase compared to February. On a month-on-month basis, inflation stood at 4.18 percent in March, representing a 2.17 percentage point rise from the 2.01 percent recorded in February.
“This means that in March 2026, the rate of increase in the average price level was higher than the rate of increase in the average price level in February 2026,” the bureau added.
On food prices, NBS said the food inflation rate stood at 14.31 percent year-on-year in March 2026, significantly lower than the 25.22 percent recorded in March 2025.
However, on a month-on-month basis, food inflation eased slightly to 4.17 percent, down from 4.69 percent in February.
“This can be attributed to the rate of change in the average prices of the following products: Yam, Ginger (Fresh), Cassava Tuber, Groundnuts (Shelled), Irish Potatoes, Ogbono (dried), Tomatoes (fresh), and Cassava Flour sold loose, among others,” NBS said.
The report also highlighted regional variations. Year-on-year food inflation was highest in Bayelsa State (33.35 percent), Sokoto State (28.02 percent), and Adamawa State (21.67 percent).
In contrast, Kano State (4.29 percent), Oyo State (4.86 percent), and Katsina State (7.48 percent) recorded the slowest increases.
On a month-on-month basis, food inflation was highest in Sokoto (11.78 percent), Niger State (8.59 percent), and Gombe State (8.10 percent).
Meanwhile, Katsina State (0.09 percent), Ogun State (0.77 percent), and Adamawa (1.30 percent) recorded declines in food inflation during the period.
