BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), has said that Nigeria’s headline inflation rate increased to 15.69% in April 2026, when compared to 15.38% recorded in March.
This was contained its Consumer Price Index (CPI) Report April 2026.
According to NBS report Consumer costs continued to increase across key sectors of the economy, even though the pace of monthly price growth slowed and remained lower than levels recorded in the same period last year.
The NBS noted that the year-on-year movement reflects ongoing pressure from elevated food costs, higher energy expenses, and continued disruptions in supply chains.
It noted that on a month-on-month basis, the Headline inflation rate in April 2026 was 2.13%, which was 2.05% lower than the rate recorded in March 2026 (4.18%).
“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.”
Urban inflation was recorded at 15.40 percent, while rural inflation stood higher at 16.36 percent, with food prices rising by 16.06 percent year-on-year, though lower than 24.68 percent in April 2025 due to changes in the cost of major staples.
Core inflation, which excludes volatile food items and energy costs, stood at 15.86 percent in April 2026, significantly lower than 26.05 percent recorded in the corresponding period of the previous year.
