NBS reports sharp rise in healthy diet cost across Nigeria

Healthy diet cost Nigeria rises to N1,513 daily per adult in February 2026, according to new National Bureau of Statistics data

The National Bureau of Statistics has revealed that the national average cost of a healthy diet per adult per day rose to N1,513 in February 2026, highlighting continued pressure on household food affordability across Nigeria.

Also read: NBS reports sharp drop in food prices across Nigeria

In its Cost of a Healthy Diet report released in Abuja, the bureau said the figure represented a 3.76 per cent increase compared with the N1,458 recorded in January 2026.

According to the NBS, the healthy diet cost Nigeria indicator measures the least expensive combination of locally available foods capable of meeting globally recognised dietary guidelines.

The bureau explained that the estimate serves as a benchmark for assessing physical and economic access to nutritious meals, although transportation and cooking costs are excluded from the calculation.

“This is a lower bound or floor of the cost per adult per day excluding the cost of transportation and meal preparation,” the report stated.

Regional analysis showed that the South-East recorded the highest average Cost of a Healthy Diet at N1,889 per adult daily, followed by the South-West at N1,786.

The North-East posted the lowest average cost at N1,160 per adult per day.

At the state level, Ekiti recorded the highest daily healthy diet cost at N2,075, while Imo and Abia followed with N2,051 and N1,924 respectively.

The lowest figures were recorded in Adamawa at N979, Borno at N1,040 and Taraba at N1,102.

The report noted that the CoHD has maintained a steady upward trend over the past year. Compared with February 2025, the cost rose by 12.4 per cent from N1,346 to N1,513.

According to the NBS, animal-source foods contributed most significantly to the increase, followed by fruits, oils and fats, and vegetables. Prices for starchy staples, however, declined on a year-on-year basis.

The bureau further disclosed that animal-source foods accounted for 39 per cent of the total cost of a healthy diet despite contributing only 13 per cent of total calories.

Fruits and vegetables were identified as the most expensive food groups in terms of price per calorie, contributing 16 per cent and 14 per cent respectively to the total cost while supplying relatively low calorie shares.

Meanwhile, legumes, nuts and seeds remained the least expensive food category, accounting for just seven per cent of the overall healthy diet basket.

The report also indicated that the healthy diet cost Nigeria metric has risen more rapidly than both general inflation and food inflation, although the NBS clarified that the CoHD and the food Consumer Price Index are not directly comparable because they use different measurement methods.

Also read: Nigeria inflation eases further to 14.45% in November — NBS

The statistics agency said the findings could help policymakers, researchers and civil society organisations develop more effective strategies to improve food affordability, accessibility and nutrition security across the country.

Victory Emmanuel