The Worldwide Financial Fund (IMF) has endorsed Nigeria’s December 2025 inflation consequence and the revised inflation methodology adopted by the Nationwide Bureau of Statistics (NBS), describing the modifications as in line with worldwide finest apply and supportive of macroeconomic stability.
In an announcement issued on Thursday on behalf of the IMF Resident Consultant for Nigeria, Christian Ebeke, the Fund mentioned the most recent Shopper Value Index knowledge confirmed easing inflationary pressures that would assist scale back the price of residing if the pattern is sustained.
The assertion was issued by the Workplace Supervisor to the IMF Resident Consultant for Nigeria, Laraba Bonet.
Nigeria’s headline inflation charge moderated to fifteen.15% in December 2025, following a revision of the CPI methodology by the NBS. The IMF mentioned the result was a constructive sign for the economic system.
What the assertion says
“We welcome the December Shopper Value Index inflation figures launched by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, which present an easing of inflation that, if sustained, will assist scale back cost-of-living pressures and assist macroeconomic stability,” the Fund mentioned.
The December studying marked a pointy slowdown from earlier ranges, reinforcing expectations that inflationary momentum could also be progressively weakening.
The NBS just lately rebased the CPI and adopted a twelve-month reference interval for 2024, changing the single-month reference method beforehand used for year-on-year inflation calculations.
In response to the IMF, the brand new method aligns Nigeria’s inflation measurement with international requirements.
“The discharge displays a welcome change in methodology that aligns Nigeria’s CPI calculation with worldwide finest practices, as set out by ECOWAS and the IMF’s 2020 CPI Guide,” the assertion famous.
Improved knowledge high quality and comparability
Below the revised framework, the NBS now hyperlinks the previous CPI sequence to the rebased and reweighted index utilizing the complete 12 months of 2024 because the reference interval. The IMF described this as a important enchancment in knowledge high quality.
“Below the brand new methodology, the NBS hyperlinks the previous CPI to the rebased and reweighted index utilizing the complete 12 months of 2024 because the reference interval, making the info extra steady and comparable over time,” the Fund mentioned.
Whereas acknowledging that the change resulted in revisions to Nigeria’s 2025 inflation figures, the IMF confused that the broader path of inflation nonetheless confirmed a gradual easing by the 12 months.
“This variation results in a revision of the 2025 inflation numbers however continues to point out a pattern of inflation coming down all year long,” it added.
The IMF’s endorsement comes amid public debate over Nigeria’s inflation path following the CPI rebasing train, which the NBS mentioned was essential to keep away from distortions pushed by statistical base results reasonably than actual worth pressures.
What you must know
Nairametrics earlier reported that Nigeria’s headline inflation eased sharply to fifteen.15% in December 2025, following a methodological evaluate by the Nationwide Bureau of Statistics, signalling a major moderation in worth pressures in contrast with each the earlier month and the identical interval final 12 months.
- Knowledge from the most recent Shopper Value Index report confirmed that the CPI rose to 131.2 factors in December from 130.5 factors in November, indicating a slower tempo of improve in common costs throughout the economic system.
- On a year-on-year foundation, headline inflation fell to fifteen.15% in December 2025 from 17.33% in November and was far decrease than the 34.80% recorded in December 2024.
This mirrored a pointy deceleration in inflation over the twelve-month interval.
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