The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose to 15.93 percent in May 2026.
The agency disclosed the figure in its consumer price index (CPI) report released on Monday.
The latest data represents the third straight monthly increase recorded in 2026.
“On a year-on-year basis, the Headline inflation rate rose to 15.93%, up from 15.69% in April 2026 and down from 26.06% in the same month of the preceding year (May 2025),” NBS said.
“Looking at the movement, the May 2026 Headline inflation rate showed an increase of 0.24% compared to the April 2026 Headline inflation rate.
“In May 2026, the headline inflation rate on a month-on-month basis was 1.75%, which was 0.39% lower than the rate recorded in April 2026 (2.13%).
“This means that in May 2026, the rate of increase in the average price level was lower than the rate of increase in the average price level in April 2026.”
food inflation rises to 16.96%
The NBS also said food inflation increased to 16.96 percent year-on-year in May 2026, up from 16.68 percent in April.
It added that the figure is lower compared to 24.55 percent recorded in May 2025.
“The food inflation rate in May 2026 on a month-on-month basis was 2.98%, down by 0.65% points from April 2026 (3.63%)” the report said.
“This can be attributed to the rate of change in the average prices of the following products: Onions (fresh), Maize (Corn) grains, Melon (Egusi), Water Yam, Cassava Flour, Crayfish, Pepper (fresh), Tomatoes (fresh), Wheat Grain, Cassava Tuber, Yam Tuber, Sweet Potatoes, Ginger (fresh), Plantain, Cow Pea, etc.”
The report showed that on a year-on-year basis, food inflation was highest in Adamawa (29.62 percent), Kwara (28.47 percent), and Rivers (28.40 percent), while Borno (-6.53 percent), Taraba (1.13 percent) and Bayelsa (5.99 percent) recorded the slowest increases.
On a month-on-month basis, food inflation was highest in Bauchi (7.73 percent), Ogun (6.86 percent) and Jigawa (6.69 percent).
However, Niger (3.54 percent), Katsina (-3.48 percent), and Gombe (-2.22 percent) recorded the slowest month-on-month increases.