External health expenditure in Nigeria
Nigeria: External health expenditure was 11.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
External health expenditure in Nigeria, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of current health expenditure.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 11.3% for external health expenditure in 2023.
That represents a change of up 62.3% on the previous year and down 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external health expenditure in Nigeria peaked at 17.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2006.
That places Nigeria 57th out of 177 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
External health expenditure in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of current health expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 17.0% | — |
| 2001 | 6.7% | -60.4% |
| 2002 | 7.3% | +8.8% |
| 2003 | 5.7% | -21.8% |
| 2004 | 6.2% | +8.8% |
| 2005 | 5.4% | -12.4% |
| 2006 | 5.4% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 5.9% | +9.1% |
| 2008 | 6.1% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 6.2% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 6.3% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 7.9% | +25.6% |
| 2012 | 8.4% | +7.1% |
| 2013 | 12.4% | +47.8% |
| 2014 | 12.3% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 9.9% | -19.3% |
| 2016 | 10.3% | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 7.6% | -26.4% |
| 2018 | 7.2% | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 11.7% | +63.8% |
| 2020 | 9.6% | -18.4% |
| 2021 | 7.9% | -17.9% |
| 2022 | 7.0% | -11.6% |
| 2023 | 11.3% | +62.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 11.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.8%, 95% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 11.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.5%, 55% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.2% | 5.4% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.4% | 6.3% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.9% | 7.0% | 11.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More health data for Nigeria
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8137 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,301 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 257,921 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 14 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0711 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external health expenditure in Nigeria?
- External health expenditure in Nigeria was 11.3% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest external health expenditure recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 17.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest external health expenditure recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2006.
- How does Nigeria rank for external health expenditure?
- Nigeria ranks 57th out of 177 countries with data for 2023.
- Is external health expenditure rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of External health expenditure (% of current health expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of current health expenditures funded from external sources. External sources compose of direct foreign transfers and foreign transfers distributed by government encompassing all financial inflows into the national health system from outside the country. External sources either flow through the government scheme or are channeled through non-governmental organizations or other schemes.