Nigeria’s headline inflation rate increased to 15.69 per cent in April 2026, reflecting renewed pressure on consumer prices and the cost of living across the country.
The latest inflation figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed an increase from the 15.38 per cent recorded in March 2026, indicating a continued rise in the prices of goods and services nationwide.
The report revealed that inflation grew by 0.31 percentage points on a year-on-year basis, underscoring persistent economic pressure affecting households and businesses despite recent monetary tightening measures.
Brandspur Business News reports that while annual inflation remained elevated, month-on-month data suggested that the pace of price increases slowed during the review period.
According to the statistics agency, the month-on-month headline inflation rate declined sharply to 2.13 per cent in April from 4.18 per cent recorded in March, signalling moderation in short-term price growth across several sectors of the economy.
The bureau explained that the latest figures indicate that although prices are still increasing, the speed at which they are rising has slowed compared to previous months.
On a 12-month average basis, headline inflation stood at 19.16 per cent for the period ending April 2026, slightly below the 19.33 per cent recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
A breakdown of the report showed varying inflation trends between urban and rural areas across the country.
Urban inflation rose to 15.40 per cent year-on-year in April, while the month-on-month urban inflation rate eased significantly to 1.86 per cent compared to 3.16 per cent in March.
The 12-month average urban inflation rate also declined to 19.07 per cent from 20.76 per cent recorded in April 2025.
In rural communities, inflation remained higher at 16.36 per cent year-on-year, highlighting sustained pressure on household spending and consumer purchasing power outside major cities.
However, rural month-on-month inflation slowed considerably to 2.80 per cent in April from 6.73 per cent in the previous month.
Economic analysts say the latest inflation figures reflect ongoing challenges linked to food supply costs, transportation expenses, exchange rate pressures, and broader economic adjustments affecting consumer markets nationwide.
The moderation in monthly inflation growth, however, has raised cautious optimism among market observers that inflationary pressure may gradually ease if supply conditions improve and monetary policies remain stable in the coming months.
