Despite Naira appreciation, Nigeria’s inflation rate rises to 33.2% in March – NBS

 

Maureen Aguta

 

Nigeria’s inflation rate increased to 33.2 per cent for the month of March 2024 according to the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

This represents 1.5 per cent points increase from the 31.7 per cent recorded in February 2024.

The increase in the inflation rate in March was slower compared to the 1.80 per cent increase recorded in February 2024.

Inflation in March was driven by increase in food and beverages coupled with energy and housing costs.

On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate increased by 11.16 per cent from 22.04 per cent in March 2023.

Additionally, the headline inflation rate for March 2024 was 3.02 per cent, a decrease of 0.10 per cent from February 2024, when it was 3.12 per cent.

Food inflation

In March 2024, the food inflation rate reached 40.01 per cent year-on-year, marking an increase of 15.56 percentage points from 24.45 per cent in March 2023.

This surge in food inflation can be attributed to rising prices for items such as garri, millet, and akpu uncooked fermented (all part of the Bread and Cereals category), as well as yam tuber, water yam, and others.

On a month-on-month basis, the food inflation rate in March 2024 stood at 3.62 per cent, showing a decline of 0.17 per cent from February 2024, when it was 3.79 per cent.

For the twelve months ending in March 2024, the average annual food inflation rate was 31.40 per cent, an increase of 8.69 per cent points from the 22.72 per cent recorded in the previous twelve months ending in March 2023.

Urban inflation

Urban inflation in March reached 35.18 per cent year-on-year, a rise of 12.11 per cent from the 23.07 per cent recorded in March 2023. Month-over-month, the urban inflation rate for March 2024 was 3.17 per cent, showing a marginal decrease of 0.0001 per cent point from February 2024, which also stood at 3.17 per cent.

Rural inflation

The rural inflation rate for March 2024 was 31.45 per cent on a year-on-year basis, up 10.37 percentage points from 21.09 per cent in March 2023.

Month-over-month, the rural inflation rate decreased by 0.20 per cent points to 2.87 per cent in March 2024 from 3.07 per cent in February 2024.

Core inflation

Core inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural products and energy, was 25.90 per cent in March 2024 on a year-on-year basis, an increase of 6.26 per cent from 19.63 per cent in March 2023.

The month-on-month core inflation rate in March 2024 was 2.54 per cent, up from 2.17 per cent in February 2024. The average annual inflation rate over the twelve months ending in March 2024 was 22.26 per cent, 5.04 per cent points higher than the 17.22 per cent recorded in March 2023.