No fewer than 16,156 nurses and midwives trained in Nigeria have been licensed to practise in the United Kingdom between 2017 and September 30, 2025, according to the latest figures from the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council.
The data, obtained from the NMC register, reflects the growing migration of Nigerian healthcare professionals abroad — a phenomenon popularly described as “japa” — driven by the search for better pay, improved working conditions, and career advancement opportunities.
Confirming the figures in an email response, the UK regulator said, “As of 30 September 2025, there were 16,156 nurses on the register who received their education in Nigeria.”
This represents a noticeable rise from 15,421 Nigerian-trained nurses recorded as of March 31, 2025 — an increase of 4.8 per cent within six months.
The NMC’s March 2025 report ranked Nigeria as the third-largest source of foreign-trained nurses working in the UK, behind India and the Philippines. However, the report noted that international recruitment has slowed across several countries, including these top three.
Despite a steady increase in UK-trained professionals joining the register, the NMC observed that the growth rate remains insufficient to offset the decline in overseas recruitment, leading to a slowdown in overall register expansion.
The continued outflow of health workers has raised concerns about the capacity of Nigeria’s healthcare system, especially in rural and underserved communities.
Supporting this concern, the 2025 Nigeria Health Statistics Report, released by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in November, revealed that 43,221 healthcare professionals — including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and medical laboratory scientists — left the country between 2023 and 2024.
The report further showed that over 23,000 nurses and midwives migrated abroad during the period. Their preferred destinations included the United States (8,613), United Kingdom (7,463), Canada (5,603), Saudi Arabia (1,231), and Ireland (989).
Commenting on the impact, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, said Nigeria’s health workforce ratios fall far below global standards.
“Our doctor-to-population ratio is about 1 to 5,000, compared to the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 1 to 600. For nurses, the ratio is as low as 1 to 2,000, against the recommended 1 to 300,” Salako stated.
He added that the Federal Government is taking steps to address the challenge through policy reforms.
“We are strengthening primary healthcare, expanding the national health workforce registry, increasing training quotas, and implementing retention strategies to reduce migration and improve service delivery,” the minister said.
The growing exodus of healthcare professionals continues to underscore the urgent need for sustainable policies to retain skilled workers and rebuild confidence in Nigeria’s health sector.
