Nigeria’s food inflation rate remained higher than the country’s headline inflation rate for the second consecutive month in May 2026, underscoring the growing pressure of rising food costs on households despite signs of moderation in broader inflation.
Data analysed by Nairametrics Research from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) reports showed that food inflation rose to 16.96 per cent in May, compared to the headline inflation rate of 15.93 per cent.
The development confirms a worrying trend that emerged in April 2026 when food inflation surpassed headline inflation for the first time in eight months. In April, food inflation stood at 16.06 per cent against a headline inflation rate of 15.69 per cent.
By May, the gap widened further as food inflation increased by 0.90 percentage points, while headline inflation rose by just 0.24 percentage points.
According to the NBS, the latest increase in food inflation was driven largely by higher prices of essential food items, including onions, tomatoes, fresh pepper, maize, melon, cassava flour, cassava tubers, yam tubers, sweet potatoes, plantain, wheat grain, ginger, cowpea, water yam, and crayfish.
The figures suggest that food prices have become the primary driver of inflationary pressures in the Nigerian economy.
A closer look at the data reveals the extent of the surge.
Food inflation rose from 8.89 per cent in January 2026 to 16.96 per cent in May, representing an increase of 8.07 percentage points. This translates to a rise of approximately 90.8 per cent within five months.
By comparison, headline inflation moved from 15.10 per cent in January to 15.93 per cent in May, an increase of just 0.83 percentage points, or 5.5 per cent.
The data clearly indicates that the resurgence of inflation in 2026 is being fuelled more by food prices than by the general basket of goods and services captured in the Consumer Price Index.
The NBS reported that food and non-alcoholic beverages contributed 6.38 percentage points to the headline inflation rate of 15.93 per cent in May, accounting for roughly 40 per cent of total inflation.
This makes food by far the largest contributor to inflation.
The next highest contributors were restaurants and accommodation services, which added 2.06 percentage points, followed by transport at 1.70 percentage points.
The figures highlight the disproportionate impact of food costs on overall consumer prices and household welfare.
State-level data reveal that food inflation remains elevated across much of the country.
Twenty-one states recorded food inflation rates above 17 per cent in May, representing more than half of Nigeria’s states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The highest food inflation rates were recorded in:
- Adamawa – 29.6%
- Kwara – 28.5%
- Rivers – 28.4%
- Enugu – 27.8%
- Bauchi – 25.4%
- Plateau – 24.8%
- Kaduna – 24.0%
- Delta – 23.8%
- Ondo – 23.1%
- Benue – 22.7%
Other states with elevated food inflation included Oyo, Edo, Kano, Yobe, Zamfara, Osun, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Abia, Ekiti and Gombe.
In contrast, Borno, Taraba and Bayelsa recorded the slowest pace of food price increases.
The NBS cautioned that direct comparisons between states should be made carefully because consumption patterns and expenditure baskets differ across regions.
The latest CPI report also showed that Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose to 15.93 per cent in May from 15.69 per cent in April, reflecting continued price pressures across the economy.
Although the annual inflation rate increased, the month-on-month inflation figures suggest that the pace of price increases may be slowing.
Nevertheless, for millions of Nigerians, the most immediate concern remains the rising cost of food.
With food accounting for the largest share of household spending, particularly among low-income families, the persistence of food inflation above the national average raises fresh concerns about affordability, nutrition, and the overall cost of living.
The figures reinforce the urgent need for measures that address food production, supply chain bottlenecks, insecurity in farming communities, transportation costs, and post-harvest losses if Nigeria is to achieve meaningful and sustainable inflation relief.
