Nigerian Nurses Migrate to the UK More than Any Other Country.

Nigerian Nurses in the UK constitute the largest single professional group among those registered on the diaspora data mapping portal by Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) portal, highlighting the strong migration pool within the healthcare sector to the UK.

According to the latest data from NiDCOM, a total of 60,000 Nigerians living abroad registered on the portal as at June 2025.

Nurses make up 25 percent of all professional registrants, making it most represented occupation. In parallel, the United Kingdom accounts for the highest proportion of geographic registrations, with 30 percent of diaspora Nigerians recorded on the platform residing in the UK.

The figures reflect the scale of healthcare emigration and the prominence of the UK as a destination Nigerian professionals sought in recent times for career advancement abroad.

This unfortunately reflects the numbers contributing to the recent immigration crackdown by the UK government to reduce net migration , affecting nurses, care workers.

Also, in terms of geographic distribution, the United Kingdom (UK) leads with 30 percent of registered diaspora Nigerians. United States (US) follows closely after the UK, at 25 percent and Canada at 15 percent. Germany accounts for 10 percent, while both the United Arab Emirates and South Africa represent 5 percent each. The remaining 10 percent fall under “Others,” covering a broad range of countries.

Countries such as Saudi Arabia (4.58 percent), Egypt (3.19 percent), France (2.94 percent), India (2.90 percent), and China (2.51 percent) are among the notable locations where Nigerians have also registered, indicating a more global footprint.
Other African countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia, and Senegal, also feature, alongside Asian nations like Malaysia and Qatar.

Migration of Nigeria nurses into the UK was facilitated by the introduction of healthcare worker visa by the UK government in 2020 amidst COVID-19 pandemic. The UK government introduced the visa programme to meet the labour shortage crisis in the UK healthcare sector. The healthcare visa has now been halted by the new labour government.

Most of the nurses are employed by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). NHS manage most public hospitals in the UK.