No fewer than 16,156 nurses and midwives trained in Nigeria have been licensed to practise in the United Kingdom between 2017 and 30 September 2025, according to the latest figures released by the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Data extracted from the NMC professional register showed a consistent increase in the number of Nigerian-trained health professionals relocating to the UK, underscoring the continued impact of the migration trend widely referred to as “japa.”
As of September 30, 2025, the register recorded 16,156 Nigerian-educated nurses, up from 15,421 as of March 31, 2025.
This reflects an increase of about 4.8 per cent within six months.
Earlier reports had ranked Nigeria as the third-largest source of foreign-trained nurses in the UK, behind the Philippines and India.
However, the latest NMC figures indicate a general decline in international recruitment from major source countries, including Nigeria, India and the Philippines.
Despite the drop in overseas inflows, the NMC noted that the number of UK-trained nurses joining the register has risen, though the increase has not been sufficient to compensate for reduced international recruitment. As a result, overall growth in the UK nursing workforce slowed over the past year.
The continued migration of healthcare professionals has raised concerns about Nigeria’s already strained health sector. The 2025 Nigeria Health Statistics report, published by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, revealed that 43,221 health workers—including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and laboratory scientists—left the country between 2023 and 2024.
The report further showed that more than 23,000 Nigerian nurses and midwives had migrated abroad by 2024, with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Ireland identified as the leading destinations.
Commenting on the situation, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, said Nigeria’s doctor-to-population ratio currently stands at about one doctor to 5,000 people, while the nurse-to-population ratio is approximately one to 2,000, both far below World Health Organisation benchmarks.
Salako said the Federal Government is responding through measures such as strengthening primary healthcare, expanding training capacity, improving workforce data management and implementing retention strategies aimed at limiting the impact of health worker migration on service delivery.
