Food prices have continued to increase as Nigeria's headline inflation hit 34.19% in June 2024, one of the highest globally.
NBS's monthly survey for the average prices of selected food items in Nigeria as of June 2024 shows that tomatoes have gone up by 321%, yam by 296%, and staples — beans, rice, and plantain — have also seen significant increases. These are the top ten food items most hit by inflation in Nigeria in the past twelve months.
Rising fuel costs are impacting transportation prices of goods and services, straining household budgets and contributing to inflation. The average cost of petrol in Nigeria has increased by 25% since July 2023. Diesel prices have seen an even sharper increase of 85%, rising from a national average of ₦794 in July 2023 to ₦1,462 in June 2024.
The cost of cooking gas nationwide increased from an average of ₦10.3k in March 2023 to nearly ₦16k in March 2024.
However, the northern regions had the most affordable prices. The North East had the lowest average price of ₦14.9k for a 12.5kg cylinder.
In Katsina, the average price for 12.5kg of cooking gas was ₦12,400 as of March 2024, the lowest in the country.
Inflation rate in Nigeria increased to 31.7% in February 2024. Nigeria has the 13th highest inflation rate out of 186 countries and territories as of February 2024.
The data showcases Argentina leading with 276%, followed by Lebanon and Syria. Seven of the top fifteen are African.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics reveal that the average bread prices in Nigeria increased by 20.71% for unsliced bread and 17.25% for sliced bread year on year. As Nigerians mourn this rise in cost, we consider the average bread prices over the past 24 months.
While many living in Nigeria have already experienced the effects of the fuel subsidy removal on their daily expenses, this chart presents a clearer picture of reality. Will the prices of food items continue to rise? Is there hope of some respite soon?
With about 24.8m people in Nigeria facing acute food insecurity, the country is first on the World Food Programme's list of hunger hotspots in 2023. 11 of the 20 countries on the list are African.
