Why are Nigerian Health Workers Leaving the Country? Nigeria is facing
Nigeria is facing a growing health workforce crisis as thousands of trained professionals leave the country for better opportunities abroad. New figures show that more than 20,000 Nigerian health workers relocated abroad within one year, even as the country continues to struggle with shortages of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals.
The United Kingdom has become one of the major destinations. A total of 10,494 Nigerians are listed among staff in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), making Nigerians the largest African nationality represented in the NHS data cited by Premium Times.
The figures raise a bigger question: why are so many Nigerian health workers leaving?
Better pay and working conditions
One of the strongest reasons behind the migration is the search for better remuneration.
A study examining physician emigration from Nigeria found that poor remuneration was the most commonly reported reason for leaving, cited by 91.3 per cent of respondents. Rising insecurity and inadequate diagnostic facilities were also major factors.
For health professionals who have spent years studying and training, the prospect of earning more and working in better-resourced health systems can be difficult to ignore.
The difference is not only about salary. Working conditions, access to equipment, staffing levels and the ability to provide quality care also influence whether professionals remain in the country.
The World Health Organisation has similarly identified remuneration and working conditions as important factors in international health worker migration.
Poorly equipped health facilities
Another factor is the condition of some Nigerian hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Health workers cannot provide the level of care they were trained to deliver when hospitals lack essential equipment, diagnostic tools, drugs or adequate infrastructure.
The Nigerian physician migration study found inadequate diagnostic facilities among the leading reasons doctors considered leaving the country.
This can create a frustrating situation for medical professionals. A doctor may have the knowledge and skills to treat a patient but lack the equipment needed to properly diagnose or manage the condition.
For some professionals, moving abroad offers access to better-equipped facilities and systems that allow them to practise with fewer limitations.
Insecurity also plays a role
Safety is another concern.
The same study found that rising insecurity was cited by 79.8 per cent of doctors surveyed as a reason for emigration.
Nigeria’s security challenges do not affect only patients and communities. Health workers also have to consider where they live and work, particularly when postings take them to areas affected by conflict, banditry or other forms of insecurity.
The problem can be more serious in rural and underserved areas, where health facilities already struggle to attract and retain professionals.
A 2026 analysis of Nigeria’s health workforce found that several northern states have extremely low doctor densities, with insecurity, poor infrastructure and migration among the factors contributing to the shortage.
Limited career opportunities
For many professionals, migration is also about career development.
Health workers may want opportunities to specialise, undertake further training, participate in research or progress professionally. When such opportunities are limited or difficult to access at home, working abroad can become attractive.
The WHO has identified opportunities for education, training, promotion and career progression as factors that influence health worker migration and retention.
This means that retaining health workers is not simply a matter of asking them to stay. The health system also has to provide an environment where professionals can see a future for themselves.
The UK is attracting Nigerian professionals
The scale of Nigeria’s connection to the UK health system illustrates the problem.
According to the latest figures reported by Premium Times, 4,691 Nigerian-trained doctors joined the UK medical register between May 2023 and April 2026, while 15,896 Nigerian-trained doctors were licensed to practise in the UK.
Nurses and other health professionals are also part of this movement.
The 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report recorded the relocation of 3,919 doctors, 7,487 nurses and midwives, 6,861 medical laboratory professionals, 702 pharmacists, 658 physiotherapists and 274 dentists, among other professionals.
The consequence is that Nigeria is losing trained professionals while still needing more people to provide healthcare.
Nigeria is not producing too few health workers alone — it is also struggling to retain them
The numbers show another part of the problem.
Nigeria had 95,456 registered doctors, but only 60,551 had active practising licences, according to the 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report.
This does not mean every doctor without an active licence has left the country, but it highlights the gap between the number of professionals registered and those actively available to practise.
There is also a distribution problem.
Some states have far fewer doctors and specialists than others, leaving rural and underserved communities particularly vulnerable. In parts of northern Nigeria, for example, doctor density is as low as 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people.
Therefore, Nigeria’s health workforce crisis is not simply about how many professionals the country has. It is also about where they work, whether they remain in active practice and whether the system can retain them.
What is the government doing?
The Federal Government approved a National Policy on Health Workforce Migration in August 2024, designed to manage migration, improve retention and strengthen workforce planning.
The challenge, however, is turning policy into conditions that make health workers willing to remain.
A policy may recognise migration as a problem, but retaining doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists and other professionals requires improvements in pay, working conditions, security, infrastructure, staffing and career development.
What happens if the trend continues?
The biggest concern is the effect on ordinary Nigerians.
When trained health workers leave, the professionals who remain may have to attend to more patients. This can increase workloads and contribute to burnout, while shortages can make it harder for patients in underserved communities to access specialists.
The World Health Organisation estimates that the world could face a shortage of 11 million health workers by 2030, with most of the gap occurring in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
For Nigeria, therefore, the issue is bigger than the number of professionals moving to Britain, Canada, the United States or other countries.
The question is whether Nigeria can build a health system in which professionals who have been trained at considerable cost are able to earn fairly, work safely, access the tools they need and build sustainable careers at home.
Until those conditions improve, the attraction of better opportunities abroad is likely to remain strong.