Ekiti State has once again emerged as the state with the highest inflation rate in Nigeria for October 2025, posting a headline inflation rate of 20.1%.
On a year-on-year basis, this represents an increase of 2.2%, demonstrating the persistent rise in living costs across the state.
The latest figures, released on Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), mark the second consecutive month in which Ekiti has topped the national inflation chart.
This continued trend highlights the deepening cost-of-living pressures facing residents, with Ekiti maintaining its position as the country’s most expensive state in 2025.
Although the state recorded a high overall inflation figure, the data also shows that annual food inflation stood at 19.7%, indicating a 4.8% decline compared to the previous period. This drop suggests that the primary drivers of rising prices in Ekiti have shifted away from food items to other essential categories.
According to the NBS, inflationary pressure in Ekiti is now being fuelled predominantly by non-food components such as housing costs, transport fares, electricity tariffs, healthcare services, and other miscellaneous expenses. These structural cost increases reflect broader economic challenges, including higher logistics expenses, increased energy costs, and a general rise in service-related prices nationwide.
For households in the state, this shift signals a growing burden, as non-food essentials usually account for a substantial part of monthly budgets. Rising transport costs, electricity charges, and accommodation fees have particularly squeezed disposable incomes, leaving many families struggling to keep up with basic needs.
States such as Nasarawa (19%), Zamfara (18.8%), Ogun (18.3%), and Delta (18.3%) also recorded notably high inflation rates in October, reflecting widespread price pressures across the federation.
While several other states posted elevated but comparatively lower figures, the NBS report shows that Ekiti remains significantly above the national average, reinforcing its position as the most inflation-hit state for the month.
Naijaonpoint earlier reported that Nigeria’s inflation trajectory showed a notable improvement in October 2025, with the headline inflation rate easing to 16.05%, a significant decline from the 18.02% recorded in September 2025.
NBS noted that the year-on-year headline inflation rate stood at 17.82%, lower than the 33.88% recorded in October 2024.
In September, Naijaonpoint reported that Ekiti state emerged as the most expensive place to live in Nigeria in August 2025, making history as the first South-Western state to top the inflation rankings since the rebasing of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in January.
Ekiti’s rise dethroned Borno, which had been Nigeria’s most expensive state for three consecutive months—May, June, and July 2025.