A total of 4,193 doctors and dentists left Nigeria in 2024 alone, according to the Nigeria Health Statistics Report released by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The report, obtained by Hobnob News, reveals a 200 per cent surge in health worker migration across all professional categories between 2023 and 2024. Thousands of doctors, nurses, and allied health workers left the country in search of better working conditions, improved remuneration, and stronger career prospects abroad.
A detailed breakdown shows that 43,221 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and medical laboratory scientists migrated out of Nigeria between 2023 and 2024, underscoring the severity of the nation’s worsening brain drain.
The report warns that the continuous exodus poses a major threat to Nigeria’s healthcare system, particularly in rural and underserved communities, where shortages of skilled professionals are most pronounced. It highlights the need for urgent and targeted policies to retain health workers and strengthen the national health workforce.
Despite growth in professional training output — with increased numbers of doctors (18%), nurses and midwives (13%), pharmacists (27%), and laboratory scientists (39%) between 2022 and 2024 — the report notes persistent licensing gaps and workforce underutilisation. Only about half of registered health professionals are actively licensed to practise, further limiting the system’s capacity.
The migration trend remains alarming:
In 2024 alone, 4,193 doctors and dentists emigrated, 66% heading to the United Kingdom.
From 2023 to 2024, top destinations for Nigerian doctors and dentists included:
UK (4,627), Canada (934), US (561), Australia (188), UAE (140), Ireland (113), Maldives (77), Botswana (67), India (57), and Saudi Arabia (43).
Nurses and midwives are the most affected group, with over 23,000 leaving Nigeria in 2024. Pharmacists and laboratory scientists also recorded significant departures.
Top destinations for pharmacists:
Canada (765), UK (196), Australia (88), US (53), Ireland (30), UAE (9), South Africa (3), Rwanda (2), Germany (2), Saudi Arabia (2).
Top destinations for medical laboratory scientists:
Canada (6,393), UAE (2,010), Ireland (1,500), US (1,052), UK (410).
The mass migration has stretched Nigeria’s health facilities thin, increasing patient load and reducing available manpower despite the Federal Government employing over 37,000 healthcare workers since 2023, more than 75% of whom are in clinical roles.
Speaking at the Joint Annual Report Meeting of the health sector in Abuja, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, highlighted the alarming workforce ratios:
Doctor-to-population ratio: 1:5,000 (WHO recommends 1:600)
Nurse-to-population ratio: 1:2,000 (WHO recommends 1:300)
He noted that 75% of health workers are concentrated in urban areas, serving just 45% of the population, leaving rural communities critically underserved.
Salako reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing these challenges through expanded primary healthcare systems, increased training quotas, an upgraded Health Workforce Registry, and new retention strategies.
He added that the newly developed Health Workforce Migration Policy aims to improve retention while fostering stronger collaboration with Nigerian health professionals in the diaspora.
The minister emphasised that these interventions form part of the broader Nigerian Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiatives, designed to build a resilient, quality-driven healthcare system capable of withstanding national and global health shocks.
About The Author
