Medical doctors in Nigeria
Nigeria: Medical doctors was 96,321 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
96,321
Change on year
up 11.2%
World rank
29th
of 187 countries
All-time high
96,321
in 2024
All-time low
34,923
in 2003
Years of data
14
2003–2024
Medical doctors in Nigeria, 2003–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 96,321 for medical doctors in 2024. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of up 11.2% on the previous year and up 46.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors in Nigeria peaked at 96,321 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 34,923, in 2003.
Nigeria ranks 29th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Medical doctors in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 34,923 | — |
| 2005 | 39,210 | +12.3% |
| 2006 | 49,612 | +26.5% |
| 2007 | 55,376 | +11.6% |
| 2008 | 56,526 | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 58,363 | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 65,759 | +12.7% |
| 2016 | 83,565 | +27.1% |
| 2018 | 74,543 | -10.8% |
| 2019 | 74,543 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 84,277 | +13.1% |
| 2022 | 86,181 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 86,642 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 96,321 | +11.2% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 96,321 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3,472, 27.7× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 96,321 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2,289, 42.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 49,002 | 34,923 | 58,363 | 6 |
| 2010s | 74,602 | 65,759 | 83,565 | 4 |
| 2020s | 88,355 | 84,277 | 96,321 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 26 Australia 111,836 compare
- 27 Vietnam 109,535 compare
- 28 Philippines 100,608 compare
- 30 Cuba 94,066 compare
- 31 Uzbekistan 82,823 compare
- 32 North Korea 82,121 compare
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 medical doctors in Nigeria?
- Medical doctors in Nigeria was 96,321 in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest medical doctors recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 96,321 in 2024.
- What is the lowest medical doctors recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 34,923 in 2003.
- How does Nigeria rank for medical doctors?
- Nigeria ranks 29th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is medical doctors rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Medical doctors (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).