Many Nigerians are struggling to maintain a nutritious diet due to escalating costs; in August 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics reported that the average adult’s daily cost of a balanced meal in the nation was N1,255.
In a report published on Thursday, the NBS stated that the increase was a 28% increase from N982 in March 2024.
In order to track inflation trends, the bureau gathers retail food prices every month from more than 10,000 establishments around the country, which includes the cost of more than 200 food items.
According to the research, “in August, animal source foods were the most expensive food group, making up 37% of the total cost of a healthy diet while only providing 13% of total calories.”
Costs vary by state, with the highest average daily costs of N1,641, N1,615, and N1,572 recorded by Ogun, Lagos, and Rivers states, respectively.
The research said, “Katsina, Kaduna, and Sokoto, however, had the lowest costs, at N880, N951, and N980 per day.” These regional differences highlight the inequities in the nation’s access to reasonably priced nutrition.
“At the zonal level, the South-West zone (N1,554) and the South-South zone (N1,381) had the highest average daily costs. “A healthy diet was found to be the least expensive in the North West zone, at N1,041 per day,” NBS Added.
