A new government report shows that more than 4,000 doctors and dentists left Nigeria in 2024 as health worker migration surged by 200 percent.
Nigeria’s health sector is facing an escalating workforce crisis after 4,193 doctors and dentists left the country in 2024 alone, according to a report from SAHARA REPORTERS.
The Nigeria Health Statistics Report, released on Friday, shows that between 2023 and 2024, migration of health workers across all cadres rose by 200 per cent. The document states that 43,221 doctors, nurses, pharmacists and medical laboratory scientists relocated abroad within the two-year period, deepening the country’s already severe brain drain.
Although the number of trained professionals increased modestly between 2022 and 2024, the report notes that only about half of registered health workers are licensed to practise, creating a significant capacity gap even before accounting for migration.
“Attrition, especially through external migration, remains a significant challenge… In 2024 alone, a total of 4,193 doctors and dentists left Nigeria, with approximately 66 per cent migrating to the United Kingdom. Nurses and midwives are the most affected groups,” the report said.
The United Kingdom received 4,627 Nigerian doctors and dentists in the two-year period, followed by Canada (934), the United States (561), Australia (188) and other destinations.
Speaking in Abuja, Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Salako, warned that Nigeria’s doctor-to-population ratio is 1:5,000, far below WHO standards. He said the government is expanding training quotas and implementing a migration policy to improve retention.