More than 40,000 people who reported Nigerian nationality were working in NHS hospital and community health services in England in June 2025, according to the latest detailed official nationality breakdown.
The figure is significantly higher than the 10,494 being circulated in recent reports and social media posts.
Data published by NHS England and analysed by the House of Commons Library recorded 40,575 Nigerian nationals among the NHS workforce in England. Nigeria was the second-largest non-British nationality represented, behind India, which had 79,406 staff.
Filipino nationals were the next-largest group, with 35,543 staff. Irish and Polish nationals accounted for 13,844 and 12,518 workers respectively.
Outdated figure presented as current
Several Nigerian publications recently reported that 10,494 Nigerians work in the NHS, describing Nigeria as the sixth-largest foreign nationality represented in the health service.
However, the exact figures used in those reports come from NHS workforce data for March 2021.
The 2021 House of Commons Library briefing listed 1,118,116 British or UK staff, followed by 32,117 Indian nationals, 25,423 Filipinos, 14,151 Irish nationals, 10,520 Polish nationals and 10,494 Nigerians.
This placed Nigeria sixth when British staff were included, but fifth among non-British nationalities. Describing Nigeria as the sixth-largest foreign nationality was therefore inaccurate even when applied to the older table.
The latest House of Commons Library workforce briefing uses NHS England data for June 2025. It shows that the recorded Nigerian workforce had reached 40,575.
Figures cover NHS England, not the entire UK
The data relate to NHS hospital and community health services in England. They should not be described as covering the entire United Kingdom because Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate separate health services and workforce systems.
The figures also include clinical and non-clinical NHS employees. It would therefore be inaccurate to describe all 40,575 Nigerian nationals as doctors, nurses or healthcare professionals.
People working in social care, private hospitals or other organisations outside the covered NHS workforce are not included.
NHS nationality information is self-reported. The House of Commons Library explains that it does not necessarily show a worker’s country of birth, immigration status or where the person received professional training.
International workers remain central to the NHS
Around 325,000 of the NHS workforce in England reported a non-British nationality in June 2025, representing approximately one in five staff members whose nationality was known.
The proportion was higher among some clinical groups. About 36 per cent of hospital doctors and 30 per cent of nurses and health visitors reported a nationality other than British.
The same official data show that 40,575 Nigerian nationals were employed across different NHS roles. This represents almost four times the number recorded in the widely recirculated 2021 table.
A separate House of Commons Library briefing published in March 2026 said the NHS has increasingly relied on international recruitment to fill workforce shortages. It also noted concerns about staff retention, ethical recruitment and the treatment of internationally recruited workers.
What the corrected figures show
The updated data confirm that Nigerian nationals make a major contribution to NHS services in England. They are now the second-largest recorded non-British nationality in the covered workforce, not the sixth-largest as recent reports have claimed.
The older figure should not be presented as a current 2026 workforce total without clearly stating that it comes from March 2021.
