Nigeria's South West zone recorded the highest Cost of Healthy Diet (CoHD) at ₦1,764, exceeding the national average by ₦269

  • South West has the highest Cost of Healthy Diet (₦1,764), surpassing the national average by ₦269.
  • South South follows at ₦1,714.
  • South East (₦1,436) and North East (₦1,430) sit close to the national midpoint.
  • North Central and North West record the lowest CoHD at ₦1,372 and ₦1,296, respectively.
  • The national average cost of a healthy diet stands at ₦1,495 per person per day as of December 2024.
  • The regional disparities in food cost highlight the uneven impact of economic realities across Nigeria’s zones.

The cost of maintaining a healthy diet in Nigeria continues to rise, with the South West zone recording the highest Cost of Healthy Diet (CoHD) at ₦1,764 as of December 2024 — ₦269 above the national average of ₦1,495.

This highlights the growing regional disparities in food affordability across the country, reflecting both economic pressures and food supply challenges that differ from one zone to another.

While the South South follows closely at ₦1,714, regions in the North show significantly lower figures, with the North West recording the lowest CoHD at ₦1,296. This north-south gap underscores how inflation, logistics, and market access affect the cost of nutritious meals differently across regions.

In the South West, higher urbanisation levels and reliance on market-purchased foods contribute to higher costs, while northern areas may benefit from proximity to agricultural production.

Source:

National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)

Period:

December 2024
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The national average Cost of Healthy Diet (CoHD) in Nigeria increased by over 74% in 2024, surging from ₦858 in January to ₦1,495 in December
  • The Cost of Healthy Diet (CoHD) in Nigeria increased by over 74% in 2024.
  • The average cost rose from ₦858 in January to ₦1,495 in December.
  • June 2024 recorded the sharpest monthly jump at 19.2%, the highest of the year.
  • From August to December, CoHD rose steadily — showing no reversal in trend.
  • The persistent rise reflects food inflation, weak supply chains, and increasing import costs.
  • For many Nigerians, maintaining a healthy diet is becoming increasingly unaffordable, threatening nutrition and welfare outcomes.
Animal source foods account for the largest share of the CoHD in Nigeria, at 35.3% (₦528) of the ₦1,495 national average
  • Animal source foods make up the largest share of Nigeria’s CoHD at ₦528 (35.3%) of ₦1,495.
  • Starchy staples follow at ₦344 (23%), showing the centrality of carbs in Nigerian diets.
  • Vegetables (₦233) and fruits (₦163) collectively account for over a quarter of the cost.
  • Legumes, nuts, and seeds (₦101) are the least costly food group, despite their nutritional value.
  • The national average CoHD stands at ₦1,495 per person per day as of December 2024.
  • Protein-rich foods are becoming increasingly unaffordable, contributing to dietary imbalance.
Nigeria recorded the lowest score on food affordability in the 2022 global food security index, with 25 points
  • Among the 113 countries measured in the 2022 Global Food Security Index, Nigeria is ranked 107th overall, putting it deep in the bottom ten globally.
  • Nigeria has the lowest affordability score globally in the GFSI 2022, scoring only 25.0 in that pillar.
  • The country performs marginally better in other pillars: its score in “Quality and Safety” is relatively higher (55.6), and “Sustainability and Adaptation” is 53.7. But other pillars like “Availability” (39.5) remain weak.
  • Globally, a group of countries, including Nigeria, DR Congo, Sudan, Venezuela, Burundi, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Yemen, Haiti, and Syria, all cluster at low overall GFSI scores (below ~45), reflecting severe challenges.
Nigeria had the highest number of malnourished people in Africa in 2023, with 45.4 million
  • In Africa, 275 million people were recorded to be malnourished in 2023.
  • Nigeria led the list of countries in Africa with the highest number of malnourished people (45.40 million), making 16.5% of the total.
  • Nigeria was followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo with 40.7 million, 14.8% of the total.
  • Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Kenya made up almost 50% of the total number of malnourished people in Africa.
793 Million people in India could not afford a healthy diet in 2022, representing 28% of the global total
  • India tops the list of the global number of people unable to afford a decent meal with a value of 792.80 million causing unaffordability to prevail in the country by 55.6%.
  • China emerged as the second country in this global list with 208.10 million people falling in this category and unaffordability prevalence of 14.6%.
  • Nigeria claimed 6.2% of the global total with 175.6M, making it the 3rd country with the highest number of healthy diet unaffordability.
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The top 15 food items faced price hikes worth more than ₦2,000 in 19 months since May 2023
Key takeaways: 
  • The boneless beef price recorded the largest increase of more than ₦3,620 on average, followed closely by dried catfish (+₦3,619.35) and frozen chicken (+₦3,583.82).
  • Prices of major animal proteins have more than doubled, with price increases ranging from ₦1,900 to ₦3,630 on average.
  • The top 20 food items saw price hikes of at least ₦1,900.
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