KEY POINTS
- Nigeria medical tourism FX outflow reached $549.29 million in nine months.
- Spending rose 17.96 percent compared with the same period in 2024.
- Experts cite poor funding and equipment gaps as key drivers.
Nigeria medical tourism FX outflow rose to $549.29 million in the first nine months of 2025, up 17.96 percent from $465.67 million in the same period of 2024, according to Central Bank of Nigeria data.
The increase has drawn criticism from health experts and analysts, who say it reflects persistent weaknesses in domestic healthcare despite repeated government pledges to reduce dependence on treatment abroad.
CBN quarterly statistics for the third quarter of 2025 show Nigerians accessed $151.53 million for medical travel in the first quarter, $189.41 million in the second and $208.35 million in the third. Comparable figures for 2024 were $142.95 million, $153.67 million and $169.04 million respectively.
Nigeria Medical Tourism FX Outflow Trends
The foreign exchange allocation covers personal medical travel allowances approved by the CBN. While the apex bank tracks the FX disbursed, it does not monitor how the funds are spent.
Health specialists say demand remains strong for cardiovascular procedures, oncology care and other specialised treatments not widely available locally. A recent high-profile case involving author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who alleged medical negligence after the death of her 21-month-old son in Lagos while preparing for treatment in the United States, renewed public scrutiny of hospital standards.
In August 2023, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Pate pledged to prioritise health security and reduce outbound medical travel. In April 2025, he said Nigeria loses about $2 billion annually to medical tourism and pointed to signs of growing inbound visits. The latest Nigeria medical tourism FX outflow data suggest limited progress in reversing the trend.
Funding, Infrastructure Under Strain
Former Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria President Olumide Akintayo attributed the increase to deteriorating conditions in public hospitals, citing prolonged strikes, supply chain inefficiencies and corruption concerns.
Bala Audu, president of the Nigerian Medical Association, noted that most medical travel is probably for chronic and severe illnesses, like cancer. He said that even while Nigerian doctors are still competitive throughout the world, they can’t treat as many people because they don’t have enough equipment or reagents.
Audu also said that just N36 million of the N218 billion set up for health in 2025 was released, which made it harder to improve infrastructure.
Mike Ogirima, a former president of the NMA, said that Nigeria’s medical tourism FX outflow puts even more pressure on foreign reserves. He said that hospitals that don’t have enough money and life-support equipment that doesn’t work are still sending patients abroad.
