Nigeria’s inflation drops to 15.37 % in December – NBS

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says inflation rate, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), further dropped to 15.37 per cent in December 2017 from 15.90 per cent recorded in November of the same year.

The NBS disclosed this in its CPI report for December 2017 released on Tuesday in Abuja.

The CPI, which measured inflation, ended the 2017 with a rate of 15.37 per cent (year-on-year) in December 2017.

According to the bureau, this is 0.53 per cent points lower than the rate recorded in November.

The report stated that it became 11th consecutive disinflation (slowdown in the inflation rate though still positive) in headline year -on- year inflation since January 2017.

According to the report, increases have been recorded in all the Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose (COICOP) divisions that yield the Headline Index.

On a month-on-month basis, the bureau stated that the Headline Index increased by 0.59 per cent in December 2017, 0.19 per cent points higher from the rate of 0.78 per cent recorded in November.

It stated that the percentage changed in the average composite CPI for the 12 months period ending in December 2017 over the average of the CPI for the previous 12 months period.

The NBS stated that the percentage of average composite CPI was 16.50 per cent in the month, showing 0.26 per cent points lower from 16.76 per cent recorded in November 2017.

Meanwhile, the report stated that the Urban Inflation Rate rose by 15.78 per cent (year-on-year) in December from 16.27 per cent recorded in November.

It, however, stated that the rural inflation rate also eased by 15.02 per cent in December from 15.59 per cent in November.

On month-on-month basis, the report stated that the urban index rose by 0.66 per cent in December, down by 0.19 from 0.85 per cent recorded in November.

It also stated that the rural index rose by 0.54 per cent in December, down by 0.18 per cent when compared with 0.72 per cent in November.

According to the report, the corresponding 12 months year-on-year average percentage change for the urban index is 16.92 per cent in December.

This, it stated, was less than 17.26 per cent reported in November 2017, while the corresponding rural inflation rate in December is 16.10 per cent compared to 16.29 per cent recorded in November 2017.

(NAN)