Nigeria’s headline inflation rate saw a decline in August 2024, dropping to 33.2 percent, down from 33.4 percent in July 2024. This marks a reduction of 1.25 percentage points and signals the second consecutive month of easing inflation, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Monday, the inflation rate has continued to decelerate, reflecting a slowdown in the overall increase in price levels compared to the previous month. The report highlights that in August 2024, the headline inflation rate further eased to 32.15 percent, lower than July’s 33.40 percent.
However, the year-on-year comparison reveals that the inflation rate in August 2024 was still 6.35 percentage points higher than the 25.80 percent recorded in August 2023, showing a significant rise over the past year.
Month-on-Month Changes
Month-on-month, inflation in August 2024 stood at 2.22 percent, a slight decrease from July’s 2.28 percent, indicating a deceleration in the rate of growth of the average price level. This suggests that while inflation remains high, the rate at which prices are rising has begun to slow down.
Food Inflation
The report also disclosed that food inflation reached 37.52 percent in August 2024, indicating the continued impact of rising food prices on households. The month-on-month food inflation rate was also noted to be at 2.22 percent, consistent with the overall inflation figure for the month.
The gradual reduction in headline inflation could signal early signs of price stabilization, though the year-on-year data still suggests substantial inflationary pressures compared to the same period last year.