June saw a continued increase in the national average Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) per adult per day, climbing to N1,241 per person. This marks a 19.2% rise, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday.
The NBS data showed that the South West Zone had the highest average CoHD at N1,545 per day, with the North West Zone having the lowest at N956 per day.
Since the beginning of the year, the CoHD per adult has been on a steady incline: N1,041 in May, N1,035 in April, N982 in March, 938 in February, and N858 in January.
The NBS report on the healthy diet in June notes, “The National Average Cost of a Healthy Diet was N1,241 per adult per day in June 2024. Ekiti, Ogun, and Osun states had the highest costs at N1,640, N1,599, and N1,557, respectively, while Katsina, Kano, and Jigawa were at the lower end with N878, N926, and N937.
At the zonal level, the South-West Zone had the highest CoHD at N1,545 per day, followed by the South-South Zone at N1,376 per day, with the North West Zone recording the lowest at N956 per day.
The CoHD has been on a steady rise over the last six months since January 2024, showing a 45% increase from January (N858) to June 2024. It was also 19% higher than in May 2024 (N1,041). Factors driving this increase include vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, and starchy foods.
NBS explains that CoHD represents the least costly combination of locally available items that align with globally accepted food-based dietary guidelines, serving as an indicator of physical and economic access to nutritious diets.
In recent months, the CoHD has been rising faster than general inflation and food inflation. However, NBS notes that CoHD and the food CPI are not directly comparable; CoHD covers fewer items and is measured in Naira per day, while food CPI is a weighted index.