National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has disclosed that Nigeria’s headline inflation rate increased to 15.38 percent in March 2026, marking the first rise in 12 months.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to the latest consumer price index (CPI) report, the figure represents an increase from 15.06 percent recorded in February, ending a steady decline that began in April 2025.
The bureau said the headline inflation rate rose by 0.32 percentage points on a year-on-year basis, while on a month-on-month basis, inflation jumped to 4.18 percent in March, compared to 2.01 percent in February.
Food inflation, a major driver of overall price increases, stood at 14.31 percent year-on-year. The NBS attributed the movement to rising costs of items such as yam, cassava, tomatoes, and other staple foods.
Data also showed variations across states, with Bayelsa, Sokoto, and Adamawa recording the highest food inflation rates, while Kano, Oyo, and Katsina posted the slowest increases.
Analysts link the uptick in inflation to rising transportation and fuel costs, which have continued to push up the prices of goods nationwide.
