Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in Nigeria

Nigeria: Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people was 1.65 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
1.65 per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 49.0%
World rank
142nd
of 188 countries
All-time high
1.67 per 1,000 people
in 2016
All-time low
0.394 per 1,000 people
in 2020
Years of data
14
2003–2022

Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in Nigeria, 2003–2022

0.511.52003201220222003: 1.5 per 1,000 people2005: 1.5 per 1,000 people2006: 1.4 per 1,000 people2007: 1.4 per 1,000 people2008: 1.4 per 1,000 people2009: 1 per 1,000 people2010: 1.3 per 1,000 people2013: 0.973 per 1,000 people2016: 1.7 per 1,000 people2018: 0.914 per 1,000 people2019: 1.1 per 1,000 people2020: 0.394 per 1,000 people2021: 1.1 per 1,000 people2022: 1.6 per 1,000 people

Source: World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in per 1,000 people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in Nigeria is 1.65 per 1,000 people, measured in 2022.

That represents a change of up 49.0% on the previous year and up 69.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in Nigeria peaked at 1.67 per 1,000 people in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.394 per 1,000 people, in 2020.

That places Nigeria 142nd out of 188 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.39 per 1,000 people 1.02 per 1,000 people 1.53 per 1,000 people 6
2010s 1.18 per 1,000 people 0.914 per 1,000 people 1.67 per 1,000 people 5
2020s 1.05 per 1,000 people 0.394 per 1,000 people 1.65 per 1,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 139 East Timor 1.74 per 1,000 people compare
  2. 140 Suriname 1.73 per 1,000 people compare
  3. 141 India 1.72 per 1,000 people compare
  4. 143 Comoros 1.64 per 1,000 people compare
  5. 144 Bolivia 1.62 per 1,000 people compare
  6. 145 Jamaica 1.62 per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in Nigeria?
Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in Nigeria was 1.65 per 1,000 people in 2022, according to World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest nurses and midwives per 1,000 people recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 1.67 per 1,000 people in 2016.
What is the lowest nurses and midwives per 1,000 people recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 0.394 per 1,000 people in 2020.
How does Nigeria rank for nurses and midwives per 1,000 people?
Nigeria ranks 142nd out of 188 countries with data for 2022.
Is nurses and midwives per 1,000 people rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 69.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
Unit
per 1,000 people
Source
World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
188 places, 3,381 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed