The National Average Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) per adult per day stood at N1,513 as of February, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said.
The NBS disclosed this in its CoHD report for February 2026, released in Abuja.
According to the bureau, the CoHD increased by 3.76 per cent from N1,458 recorded in January 2026.
The NBS described the CoHD as the least expensive combination of locally available food items that meets globally consistent food-based dietary guidelines. It serves as a measure of physical and economic access to healthy diets.
“This is a lower bound (or floor) of the cost per adult per day, excluding transportation and meal preparation,” the report stated.
In February, the average CoHD was highest in the South-East at N1,889 per adult per day, followed by the South-West at N1,786. The North-East recorded the lowest at N1,160 per adult per day.
At the state level, Ekiti, Imo, and Abia had the highest CoHD at N2,075, N2,051, and N1,924 respectively, while Adamawa, Borno, and Taraba recorded the lowest at N979, N1,040, and N1,102 respectively.
The NBS noted that the CoHD has steadily increased over the past year. As of February 2026, it was 12.4 per cent higher than the N1,346 recorded in February 2025.
“The food groups that have driven the increases in CoHD on a year-on-year basis are animal source foods, followed by fruits, oil and fats, and vegetables. However, the price of starchy staples decreased on a year-on-year basis,” the report said.
Animal-source foods were the most expensive group, accounting for 39 per cent of the total CoHD while providing only 13 per cent of total calories. Fruits and vegetables were the most expensive per calorie, contributing 16 per cent and 14 per cent of the total cost respectively, but only 7 per cent and 5 per cent of total calories.
Legumes, nuts, and seeds were the least expensive food group, accounting for 7 per cent of the total cost.
The report added that the CoHD has risen faster than both general inflation and food inflation. However, the CoHD and the food Consumer Price Index (CPI) are not directly comparable, as the CoHD includes fewer items and is measured in Naira per day.
The NBS said the findings would encourage collaboration among policymakers, researchers, and civil society to improve access, availability, and affordability of healthy diets. Future research incorporating income levels could also help determine the number of Nigerians unable to afford a healthy diet.
