…As local healthcare capacity deepens
Nigeria’s long-standing reliance on overseas medical treatment appears to be rapidly reversing, as new data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) shows a dramatic collapse in spending on medical tourism, signalling a major shift in healthcare utilisation toward domestic facilities.
According to CBN figures covering January to June 2025, Nigeria’s medical tourism spending plunged by 96.2% year-on-year, falling from $2.38 million in the first half of 2024 to just $0.09 million in the corresponding period of 2025. The sharp contraction, amounting to a $2.29 million decline, marks one of the steepest drops recorded in outbound healthcare expenditure in recent years.
A breakdown of the data reveals that spending patterns in 2024 were driven by an unusual spike at the start of the year. Medical tourism expenditure opened at $2.30 million in January 2024, before collapsing to zero in February, remaining muted at $0.01m in March, $0.00 million in April, edging up to $0.05 million in May, and easing again to $0.02m in June.
By contrast, spending in the first half of 2025 remained consistently low throughout the six-month period. January recorded $0.06 million, followed by zero expenditure in February and March, a marginal $0.01m in April, $0.00 million in May, and $0.02 million in June. No month in 2025 exceeded the $0.06 million mark, underscoring a sustained contraction rather than a temporary dip.
While foreign exchange constraints and tighter economic conditions have played a role, healthcare experts say the numbers increasingly reflect a deeper structural change: Nigeria’s growing capacity to deliver advanced, world-class medical care locally.
Over the past few years, private and public investments in healthcare infrastructure, specialist training, and cutting-edge medical technology have significantly expanded the range of complex procedures now available within the country—reducing the need for patients to seek treatment abroad.
