The UK’s NHS employs 10,494 workers from Nigeria
The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) employs 10,494 Nigerians. The data were released by the British campaign organization NHS Million, which addresses issues concerning NHS workers, Premium Times Nigeria reports.
Nigeria ranks sixth
Nigeria ranked sixth by number of NHS workers by nationality, after the United Kingdom, India, the Philippines, Ireland and Poland. At the same time, Nigerians became the most represented African nationality on the list.
More than 1.1 million NHS workers identified themselves as British or citizens of the United Kingdom. Indians accounted for 32,117 workers, while Filipinos accounted for 25,423. Among African nationalities, Nigerians were followed by representatives of Zimbabwe, with 4,780 people, Ghana, with 3,395, Egypt, with 2,895, and South Africa, with 1,829.
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Outflow of medical workers from Nigeria
Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare stated in its 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report that more than 20,000 Nigerian healthcare workers left for abroad within one year. They included 3,919 doctors, 7,487 nurses and midwives, 6,861 medical laboratory professionals, 702 pharmacists, 658 physiotherapists and 274 dentists.
Nigeria has 95,456 registered doctors, but 60,551 of them hold active licences to practise. According to the UK General Medical Council, cited by Punch, 4,691 doctors trained in Nigeria were added to the British medical register from May 2023 to April 2026. Overall, 15,896 doctors with Nigerian medical education held licences to practise in the United Kingdom.
Workforce migration policy
In August 2024, Nigeria approved a National Health Workforce Migration Policy aimed at managing worker migration, retaining staff and workforce planning. Its implementation plan has already been completed, but full implementation has not yet begun. In 2025, the country additionally trained 23,000 primary healthcare workers, while the total number trained in 2024–2025 reached 78,146 people, or about 65% of the national target of 120,000.
