National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the national average Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) per adult per day rose to N1,541 in March 2026, representing a 1.89 per cent increase from the N1,513 recorded in February 2026.
According to the NBS report released in xAbuja on Monday, the increase was driven by rising prices across all food groups.
The bureau described the CoHD as the least expensive combination of locally available foods that meets globally accepted dietary guidelines and serves as a measure of access to healthy diets.
The report showed that the South-East recorded the highest average cost at N1,899 per adult per day, followed by the South-West at N1,801, while the North-East had the lowest cost at N1,233.
At the state level, Ekiti (N2,091), Imo (N2,052), and Abia (N1,970) recorded the highest costs, while Adamawa (N1,004), the FCT (N1,113), and Taraba (N1,149) had the lowest.
The NBS noted that the cost of a healthy diet increased by 4.38 per cent year-on-year, rising from N1,477 in March 2025 to N1,541 in March 2026.
The report added that animal-source foods accounted for 39 per cent of the total healthy diet cost, despite providing only 13 per cent of total calories, making them the most expensive food group. Fruits and vegetables were also among the most costly food groups in terms of calories provided.
The bureau said the findings would help policymakers, researchers and civil society organisations develop strategies to improve the availability, accessibility and affordability of healthy diets across the country. It also recommended further research incorporating income data to determine the number of Nigerians unable to afford a healthy diet.
