Cost Of Healthy Diet Hit 1,513 Says NBS,it added that the cost of a healthy diet per day increased to 3.76% as citizens grapple with the rising cost of living.
Kano —
TThe National Average Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) per adult a day stood at N1,513 as at February, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has stated.
The NBS revealed this in its CoHD report for February 2026 released in Abuja.
The bureau said the CoHD in February increased by 3.76 per cent compared to the N1,458 recorded in January 2026.
The NBS said the CoHD was the least expensive combination of locally available items that met globally consistent food-based dietary guidelines.
Cost Of Healthy Diet Hit 1,513 Says NBS
It said it was used to measure physical and economic access to healthy diets.
“This is a lower bound (or floor) of the cost per adult per day excluding the cost of transportation and meal preparation,” it said.
The NBS also added that in February, the average CoHD was highest in the South-East at N1,889 per adult per day, followed by the South- West at N1,786 per day.It said the lowest average CoHD was recorded in the North-East at N1,160 per adult per day.
At the state level,NBS said Ekiti, Imo and Abia recorded the highest CoHD at N2,075, N2,051, and N1,924, respectively.The bureau said Adamawa, Borno, and Taraba recorded the lowest CoHD at N979, N1,040 and N1,102, respectively.
Cost Of Healthy Diet Hit 1,513 Says NBS
The NBS said CoHD had steadily increased over the past year and as of February 2026, the CoHD was 12.4 per cent higher than what was recorded in February 2025, increasing from N1,346 to N1,513.
“The food groups that have driven the increases in CoHD on a year-on-year basis are animal source foods followed by fruits, then oil and fats and lastly vegetables” it stated
However, the price of starchy staples decreased on a year-on-year basis.
The report added that animal-source foods were the most expensive food group recommendation to meet in February, accounting for 39 per cent of the total CoHD to provide 13 per cent of the total calories.
Cost Of Healthy Diet Hit 1,513 Says NBS
It further noted that fruits and vegetables were the most expensive food groups in terms of price per calorie.
“They accounted for 16 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively, of the total CoHD while providing only seven per cent and five per cent of total calories in the Healthy Diet Basket”
“Legumes, nuts and seeds were the least-expensive food group on average, at seven per cent of the total cost,” it said.
The report also says that the CoHD had risen faster than general inflation and food inflation.“
Cost Of Healthy Diet Hit 1,513 Says NBS
However, the CoHD and the food Consumer Price Index (CPI) are not directly comparable.
The CoHD includes fewer items and is measured in Naira per day, while the food CPI is a weighted index,” it added
The NBS said the policy implications of these results would foster collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders, such as policymakers, researchers and civil society actors that focus on food security.
“These stakeholders will devise strategies that tackle access, availability, and affordability of healthy diet effectively.“
Cost Of Healthy Diet Hit 1,513 Says NBS
“Also, future research incorporating income can also be used to determine the proportion and number of the population that are unable to afford a healthy diet,” the report said
Nigeria’s Inflation Rate Rises To 15.69%
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS),Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose to 15.69 per cent in April 2026, extending the upward trend in consumer prices despite a slowdown in monthly inflationary pressure.
The statistics agency stated that the April figure represents an increase from the 15.38 per cent recorded in March 2026.
However, on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate slowed sharply to 2.13 per cent in April from 4.18 per cent in March.
The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report also revealed that the CPI rose to 138.3 points in April, reflecting continued increases in the average prices of goods and services nationwide.
Cost Of Healthy Diet Hit 1,513 Says NBS
Compared with the same period last year, however, inflation remained significantly lower than the 26.82 per cent recorded in April 2025.
Food Inflation
The NBS data further showed that food inflation climbed to 16.06 per cent year-on-year in April 2026, up from 14.31 per cent in March.
Despite the yearly increase, monthly food price growth eased slightly.
Food inflation on a month-on-month basis stood at 3.63 per cent in April, lower than the 4.17 per cent recorded in March.
The figures suggest that while food prices are still increasing, the pace of short-term increases may be slowing gradually.
Cost Of Healthy Diet Hit 1,513 Says NBS
The report also highlighted movements in core inflation, which excludes farm produce and energy prices.
According to the NBS, core inflation stood at 15.86 per cent year-on-year in April 2026, compared with 26.05 per cent in April 2025.
On a month-on-month basis, core inflation dropped significantly to 1.03 per cent from 4.03 per cent in March, indicating a moderation in underlying price pressures outside food and energy.
Urban, Rural Inflation Disparity Breakdown of the inflation figures by location showed that rural inflation remained higher than urban inflation.
Cost Of Healthy Diet Hit 1,513 Says NBS
Urban inflation stood at 15.40 per cent year-on-year in April, compared with 27.61 per cent in the corresponding period of 2025
On a month-on-month basis, urban inflation slowed to 1.86 per cent from 3.16 per cent in March.
In rural areas, inflation was recorded at 16.36 per cent year-on-year, down from 25.73 per cent in April 2025.
Monthly rural inflation also slowed to 2.80 per cent from 6.73 per cent recorded in March.
Cost Of Healthy Diet Hit 1,513 Says NBS
Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Dr Muda Yusuf, has warned that recent changes in the methodology for computing Consumer Price Index (CPI) are raising serious concerns about the credibility of the inflation data.
In a policy brief, he stated that adjustments to CPI computation parameters had created credibility gaps, thereby undermining the confidence of investors, analysts, businesses, and policymakers.
Noting that while the situation had not materially affected the disinflation trend over the past 12 months, he said the moderation in question had been driven largely by falling food prices.
Global Impact Sandbox
Key International Signal
Source Line
Sources include official statements, on-record interviews, public documents and verified reporting.
