BY GABRIEL MICHEAL—Nigeria’s headline inflation eased to 15.15 per cent in December 2025, signaling slowing price pressures and early signs of economic stabilisation, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported on Thursday.
The CPI rose to 131.2 in December from 130.5 in November, while month-on-month inflation slowed to 0.54 per cent from 1.22 per cent. Urban inflation fell to 14.85 per cent year-on-year, and rural inflation dropped to 14.56 per cent.
The NBS noted that recent changes to its CPI methodology were technical adjustments to improve accuracy and should not be seen as a reflection of worsening economic conditions.
Urban inflation declined sharply to 14.85 per cent year-on-year from 37.29 per cent in December 2024, while the month-on-month rate rose slightly to 0.99 per cent. The corresponding twelve-month average was 23.46 per cent. In rural areas, inflation dropped to 14.56 per cent year-on-year from 32.47 per cent a year earlier, with a month-on-month decline of 0.55 per cent. The twelve-month average rural inflation rate stood at 21.93 per cent.
Food inflation also moderated significantly, falling to 10.84 per cent year-on-year from 39.84 per cent in December 2024. On a month-on-month basis, food prices declined by 0.36 per cent, driven by lower prices of items such as tomatoes, garri, eggs, potatoes, vegetables, plantain, beans and onions. The average annual food inflation rate for the twelve months ending December 2025 stood at 22.00 per cent.
Core inflation, which excludes farm produce and energy, dropped to 18.63 per cent year-on-year from 29.28 per cent in December 2024. On a month-on-month basis, it eased to 0.58 per cent from 1.28 per cent in November. The twelve-month average core inflation rate was 23.49 per cent.
State-level data showed that on a year-on-year basis, Abia, Ogun and Katsina recorded the highest all-items inflation rates, while Sokoto, Plateau and Kaduna posted the lowest. On a month-on-month basis, the highest increases were recorded in Cross River, Abia and Delta, whereas Ondo, Gombe and Jigawa recorded declines.
Yobe, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory recorded the highest year-on-year rates for food inflation while Akwa Ibom, Sokoto and Plateau recorded the lowest. Month-on-month food inflation was highest in Imo, Nasarawa and Yobe, while Plateau, Rivers and Zamfara recorded declines.
