Nigeria’s headline inflation fell to 15.15 per cent in December 2025, following a major methodological review by the National Bureau of Statistics aimed at providing a more accurate reflection of price movements.
The latest Consumer Price Index report, released on Thursday, shows a significant moderation compared to November’s 17.33 per cent and a sharp drop from the 34.80 per cent recorded in December 2024.
The NBS explained that the figures for December were computed using a revised approach—adopting a twelve-month average index for 2024 as the base (set at 100)—instead of the previous single-month reference period. This adjustment, aligned with IMF and ECOWAS statistical standards, prevented what would have been an “artificial spike” in the year-on-year rate due to base effects.
Month-on-month inflation also slowed to 0.54 per cent in December, down from 1.22 per cent in November, indicating easing short-term price pressures. Food inflation—a major concern for households—dropped markedly to 10.84 per cent year-on-year from 39.84 per cent a year earlier, with prices of items such as tomatoes, garri, eggs, and vegetables declining month-on-month.
Core inflation, which excludes volatile farm and energy prices, also softened to 18.63 per cent year-on-year.
State-level data revealed disparities, with Abia, Ogun, and Katsina recording the highest all-items inflation rates, while Sokoto, Plateau, and Kaduna posted the slowest increases.
Statistician-General Adeyemi Adeniran had earlier warned of potential distortion in December’s data due to the rebasing of the CPI, stressing that the Bureau’s proactive communication aimed to ensure transparency.
The latest figures offer hope of sustained disflation, although the twelve-month average inflation rate remained elevated at 23.01 per cent, underscoring the persistent cost-of-living challenges faced by Nigerians over the past year.
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