Top 10 African countries with the least affordable groceries at the start of 2025

More than just an economic problem, the growing cost of food is potentially endangering the social and economic stability of African nations.

Millions stand the risk of experiencing hunger, poverty, and bad health in the absence of reasonably priced food, and national economies run the danger of stagnating.

Food insecurity, a recurring problem in many African countries, is directly exacerbated by high grocery prices.

Low-income households are obliged to cook fewer and lower-quality meals when essentials like rice, maize, and vegetables become pricey.

Low-income families, who already spend a large amount of their money on food, are disproportionately impacted by the high cost of groceries.

These households have less money to spend on other necessities like housing, healthcare, and education when costs rise.

In many places, this exacerbates inequality and prolongs cycles of poverty by expanding the gap between the affluent and the poor.

High grocery costs have an economic impact on both households and the nation.

Governments can be brought under pressure to implement food subsidies or other actions, should grocery costs be high, which inadvertently stresses public resources.

In nations that rely on food imports, rising global food costs aggravate trade deficits, weaken currencies, and raise inflation.

With that said, here are the 10 African countries with the highest cost of groceries, as 2025 begins, according to data from Numbeo.