A total of 10,494 Nigerians work in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS). This information comes from NHS Million, a UK group focused on NHS staff.
Nigeria ranks sixth on the list, behind the UK/British, India, the Philippines, Ireland, and Poland. This makes Nigeria the largest African nationality in the breakdown.
The data from NHS Million shows that more than 1.1 million NHS workers identified as British or UK nationals. Indians make up 32,117 staff members, while Filipinos account for 25,423.
Zimbabwe has the second-highest number of African nationals in the NHS, with 4,780. Ghana follows with 3,395, Egypt has 2,895, and South Africa has 1,829.
These figures highlight how much Nigerian professionals contribute to the UK health system. But they also come at a time when Nigeria is facing a serious shortage of health workers.
Nigeria Loses Thousands of Health Workers
The 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare shows that over 20,000 Nigerian health workers left the country in just one year.
This number includes 3,919 doctors, 7,487 nurses and midwives, 6,861 medical laboratory professionals, 702 pharmacists, 658 physiotherapists, and 274 dentists, among others. The report also mentions that Nigeria has 95,456 registered doctors, but only 60,551 of them have active practicing licenses.
The shortage of health workers is made worse by uneven distribution across the country. Several northern states have especially low numbers of doctors.
UK Remains Major Destination
The United Kingdom is one of the top places where Nigerian health professionals go to work.
Data from the UK’s General Medical Council shows that 4,691 Nigerian-trained doctors joined the UK medical register from May 2023 to April 2026. Additionally, 15,896 Nigerian-trained doctors are licensed to practice in the UK.
The 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report points out that external migration is one of the main reasons for the shortage of health professionals in Nigeria.
Migration Policy Yet to Be Fully Implemented
The federal government has started several measures to boost the health workforce and tackle migration.
In August 2024, Nigeria approved a National Policy on Health Workforce Migration. This policy aims to manage health worker migration, improve retention, and strengthen workforce planning.
However, the 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report states that even though the implementation plan is ready, full action has not yet begun.
The report reveals that an additional 23,000 frontline health workers were trained in 2025. This brings the total trained between 2024 and 2025 to 78,146, which is about 65 percent of the national target of 120,000.
The policy aims to improve working conditions, support career growth, and create a more organized approach to health worker migration and retention.
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