The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says Nigeria’s headline inflation rate further declined to 32.15 per cent in August 2024.

The NBS said this in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Inflation Report for August 2024, released in Abuja on Monday.

According to the report, the figure is 1.25 per cent points lower compared to the 33.40 per cent recorded in July 2024.

It said that on a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate in August 2024 was 6.35 per cent higher than in August 2023 at 25.80 per cent.

In addition, the report said on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in August 2024 was 2.22 per cent, which was 0.06 per cent lower than the rate recorded in July 2024 at 2.28 per cent.

“This means that in August 2024, the rate of increase in the average price level is lower than the rate of increase in the average price level in July 2024,” the bureau stated.

The report said the increase in the headline index for August 2024 on a year-on-year basis and month-on-month basis was attributed to the rise in some items in the basket of goods and services at the divisional level.

NBS said these increases were observed in food and non-alcoholic beverages, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel, clothing and footwear, and transport.

Others were furnishings, household equipment and maintenance, education, health, miscellaneous goods and services, restaurants and hotels, alcoholic beverages, tobacco and kola, recreation and culture, and communication.

It said the percentage change in the average CPI for the 12 months ending August 2024 over the average of the CPI for the previous corresponding 12-month period was 31.26 per cent.

“This indicates an 8.88 per cent increase compared to 22.38 per cent recorded in August 2023,” it stated.

The report said the food inflation rate in August 2024 increased to 37.52 per cent on a year-on-year basis, which was 8.18 per cent higher compared to the rate recorded in August 2023 at 29.34 per cent.

“The rise in food inflation on a year-on-year basis is caused by increases in prices of bread, maize, grains, guinea corn, yam, Irish potatoes, water yam, cassava tuber. Others are palm oil, vegetable oil, Ovaltine, Milo, Lipton, etc,” NBS said.

It said on a month-on-month basis that the food inflation rate in August was 2.37 per cent, a 0.10 per cent decrease compared to the rate recorded in July 2024 at 2.24 per cent.

“The decline in food inflation on a month-on-month basis was caused by a decrease in the average prices of tobacco, tea, cocoa, coffee,
Groundnut oil and milk. Others are yam, Irish potatoes, water yam, cassava tuber, palm oil, and vegetable, etc,” NBS said.

The report said, “All items less farm produce and energy’’ or core inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produce and energy, stood at 27.58 per cent in August on a year-on-year basis.

“This increased by 6.43 per cent compared to 21.15 per cent recorded in August 2023.

“The exclusion of the PMS is due to the deregulation of the commodity by removal of subsidy,” the nation’s statistical office said.

It said the highest increases were recorded in prices of rents, bus journey intercity, and journeys by motorcycle, etc.

“Others are accommodation service, laboratory service, x-ray photog­raphy, consultation fee of a medical doctor, among others.”

The NBS said on a month-on-month basis, the core inflation rate was 2.27 per cent in August 2024, “, “This indicates a 0.11 per cent increase compared to what was recorded in July 2024 at 2.16 per cent.”

“The average 12-month annual inflation rate was 25.18 per cent for the 12 months ending August 2024; this was 6.00 per cent points higher than the 19.18 per cent recorded in August 2023,” it stated.

The report said on a year-on-year basis in August 2024, the urban inflation rate was 34.58 per cent, 6.89 per cent higher than the 27.69 per cent recorded in August 2023.

“On a month-on-month basis, the urban inflation rate was 2.39 per cent, which decreased by 0.07 per cent compared to July 024 at 2.46 per cent,”  it said.

The report said that, on a year-on-year basis, in August 2024, the rural inflation rate was 29.95 per cent, which was 5.87 per cent higher than the 24.10 per cent recorded in August 2023.

“On a month-on-month basis, the rural inflation rate was 2.06 per cent, which decreased by 0.04 per cent compared to July 2024 at 2.10 per cent.’’

The states’ profile analysis showed that in August, all items’ inflation rate on a year-on-year basis was highest in Bauchi at 46.46 per cent, followed by Kebbi at 37.51 per cent and Jigawa at 37.43 per cent.

It, however, said the slowest rise in headline inflation on a year-on-year basis was recorded in Benue at 25.13 per cent, followed by Delta at 28.86 per cent, and Imo at 28.05 per cent.

The report, however, said in August 2024, all items inflation rate on a month-on-month basis was highest in Kwara at 4.45 per cent, followed by Bauchi at 4.22 per cent, and Adamawa at 3.99 per cent.

“Ogun at 0.21 per cent, followed by Abuja at 0.92 per cent and Kogi at 1.14 per cent recorded the slowest rise in month-on-month inflation.”

The report said on a year-on-year basis, food inflation was highest in Sokoto at 46.98 per cent, followed by Gombe at 43.25 per cent, and Yobe at 43.21 per cent.

“Benue at 33.33 per cent, followed by Rivers at 33.01 per cent and Bayelsa at 33.36 per cent, recorded the slowest rise in food inflation on a year-on-year basis.’’

However, the report said on a month-on-month basis that food inflation was highest in Adamawa at 5.46 per cent, Kebbi at 4.48 per cent, and Borno at 3.88 per cent.

“Ogun at 0.08 per cent, followed by Akwa Ibom at 0.45 per cent and Sokoto at 1.00 per cent, recorded the slowest rise in inflation on a month-on-month basis,” it added.

(NAN)