LunagisthubNigeria Loses 4,691 Doctors to the UK in 3 Years: Healthcare Brain Drain Hits $98.5M
Nigeria’s healthcare system is under fresh pressure. New data from the UK’s General Medical Council (GMC) shows 4,691 Nigerian-trained doctors relocated to the UK between May 29, 2023, and April 2026 — all within President Bola Tinubu’s current term.
This pushes the total number of Nigeria-trained doctors now practicing in the UK to 15,692, making Nigeria the second-largest source of foreign doctors in Britain after India.
This isn’t just a staffing problem. It’s a massive economic loss.
The Federal Government estimates it costs about $21,000 to train one doctor. That means Nigeria has lost at least $98.5 million in training investment in under two years as doctors move abroad.
And the numbers are rising fast. As of May 28, 2025, the figure was just over 11,000. In less than a year, it jumped by over 4,600.
Nigeria’s doctor-to-population ratio is now 3.9 per 10,000 people. The World Health Organisation recommends a minimum of 10 per 10,000. We’re far below that threshold.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) says the reasons are clear: poor pay, unsafe work conditions, and weak infrastructure.
“Our members are overworked, underpaid and exposed to unsafe environments daily. Many are simply burnt out,” the NMA said in a recent statement.
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) agrees, pointing to irregular salaries, excessive workload, and lack of training opportunities for young doctors who run most tertiary hospitals.
While doctors leave, Nigeria keeps spending big on treatment abroad. Official CBN data shows Nigerians spent $549.29 million on health-related travel in the first nine months of 2025 alone. That’s up 17.96% from $465.67 million in the same period of 2024.
So Nigeria trains doctors, loses them to the UK, then pays foreign hospitals for care.
The Federal Government has a national policy to curb health worker migration — the ‘Japa’ trend. But experts say it doesn’t fix the root causes.
Public health expert Dr. David Adewole listed the main push factors:
Insecurity and poor living conditions
Low pay that doesn’t cover basics like food, housing, and power
No steady electricity or potable water in rural areas
Poor post-retirement packages and delayed pensions
Lack of equipment and support in hospitals
“To make healthcare workers stay here, let the salaries be enough so that what you earn will be much more than the multiples of what you need for basic needs,” Adewole said.
He added: “And when you go to the hospital abroad, if you tell them that you are in a hurry, you go to your home; they’ll bring the medicines to your doorstep.”
4,691 doctors in 3 years is more than a statistic. It’s $98.5M in lost training, longer wait times in hospitals, and more Nigerians flying abroad for care. Until pay, security, and working conditions improve, the UK’s GMC register will keep growing.
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