Nigeria's food inflation hits 20.31% in July, Adamawa leads top 10 states
By Aboki Forex —
Nigeria's food inflation climbed to 20.31% in July 2026, the sixth straight monthly increase, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The figure is 2.79 percentage points higher than the 17.52% recorded in June 2026.
What is driving prices
The NBS linked the rise to higher average prices for crayfish, fresh pepper, onions, carrots, rice, water yam, tomatoes, garri, plantain, beef, and eggs.
Despite the monthly increase, the year-on-year picture showed some relief. Food inflation in July 2026 at 20.31% was lower than the 26.20% posted in the same month in 2025, suggesting the pace of annual price increases has slowed considerably from a year ago.
State-by-state breakdown
The NBS data showed wide variation across Nigeria. Adamawa recorded the steepest annual food inflation at 51.36%, far above the national figure. Katsina came second at 30.84%, followed by Zamfara at 30.65%. Delta, Lagos, and Ondo all posted annual rates above 26%.
The full top 10 states by annual food inflation in July 2026 were:
Adamawa: 51.36%
Katsina: 30.84%
Zamfara: 30.65%
Delta: 28.10%
Lagos: 26.80%
Ondo: 26.00%
Gombe: 24.20%
Kwara: 23.90%
Benue: 22.30%
Rivers: 22.20%
At the other end, Borno was the only state to record a negative annual food inflation rate, at -0.31%. Nasarawa followed at 6.88%, with Kebbi recording 12.50%.
On a month-on-month basis, Adamawa again topped the table at 17.02%, with Lagos at 13.48% and Borno at 13.26% close behind. Jigawa recorded the sharpest monthly drop at -3.68%, followed by Kebbi at -3.67% and Bauchi at -1.85%.
Headline inflation and broader trends
The NBS also reported that Nigeria's headline inflation rate eased slightly to 15.43% in July, down from 15.91% in June, while month-on-month headline inflation fell to 1.57% from 1.66%.
The average annual food inflation rate for the 12 months ending July 2026 stood at 16.06%, a decline of 14.79 percentage points from the 30.85% recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
For consumers, the data means food prices are still rising month after month, even though the pace of annual increase has slowed sharply from a year ago. That keeps pressure on household budgets, especially in states like Adamawa, Katsina, and Zamfara where annual food inflation remains well above the national average.