Nigeria’s inflation rate decreased to 15.15% in December 2025, marking a significant moderation in price pressures compared to the previous month and the same period last year. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 131.2 points in December 2025, up by 0.7 points from the previous month.
The year-on-year inflation rate declined from 17.33% in November 2025 and was lower than the 34.80% recorded in December 2024, indicating a notable deceleration in headline inflation over the twelve-month period. The NBS attributed the decline to a change in methodology following the CPI rebasing, which adopted 2024 as the new base year.
On a month-on-month basis, headline inflation stood at 0.54% in December 2025, down from 1.22% in November. The bureau noted that this showed a lower rate of increase in the average price level in December 2025 compared to November 2025, reflecting easing short-term inflationary pressure.
The food inflation rate dropped to 10.84% year on year in December 2025 from 39.84% in December 2024. The average annual food inflation rate for the twelve months ending December 2025 stood at 22.00%. Core inflation, which excludes volatile agricultural produce and energy prices, also moderated, easing to 18.63% year on year in December 2025 from 29.28% in December 2024.
State-level data revealed wide disparities in inflation outcomes, with Abia recording the highest all-items inflation rate at 19.03%, followed by Ogun at 18.80%, and Katsina at 18.66%. Sokoto recorded the slowest rise at 8.61%, while Plateau and Kaduna posted 9.05% and 10.38%, respectively.
The NBS cautioned against direct interstate comparisons, noting that consumption patterns and CPI weights differ across states. The bureau emphasized that the weight assigned to a particular food or non-food item may differ from state to state, making interstate comparisons of consumption baskets inadvisable and potentially misleading.
The decline in inflation rates is a positive development for the Nigerian economy, indicating a slowdown in price increases. However, the NBS noted that the twelve-month average inflation rate remained elevated, highlighting the cumulative impact of inflation over the year. The bureau will continue to monitor inflation trends and provide updates on the country’s economic performance.
