Nigeria has about 2,200 registered obstetricians and gynecologists serving a population of more than 240 million, far below the estimated 7,000 specialists needed nationwide, the Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria said.
In an interview, SOGON’s second vice president, Prof. Christopher Aimakhu, said the shortage is worsening maternal health outcomes in a country that records about 7 million births annually.
Aimakhu said most obstetricians and gynecologists practice in urban centers, leaving rural communities — where maternal mortality rates are already high — without skilled care. He cited insecurity, including kidnappings, poor pay and inadequate equipment as key drivers of the migration of doctors from rural areas and out of the country.
Rural areas account for 43% of maternal deaths in Nigeria, with between 500 and 800 deaths per 100,000 live births, he said. Nigeria has the third-highest maternal mortality rate globally and accounts for 34% of global maternal deaths.
According to the World Bank, Nigeria’s maternal mortality ratio stood at 993 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023. The country’s fertility rate remains high at 4.8 children per woman, according to the 2023–2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey.
The ongoing wave of emigration, locally referred to as “japa,” has significantly reduced the number of practicing doctors. The president of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Bala Audu, previously said Nigeria has about 30,000 practicing doctors, resulting in a doctor-patient ratio of 1 to 8,000.
“If you divide the estimated population of 240 million by the number of practicing doctors, which is 30,000, it will give you a doctor-patient ratio of 1:8,000,” Audu said, noting that countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Dubai actively recruit Nigerian doctors because of their training and competence.
SOGON data indicate a sharp decline in the number of gynecologists. In 2023, Nigeria had about 9,000 gynecologists, but new figures show a 75.6% drop, leaving between 2,000 and 3,000 currently practicing, Aimakhu said.
“So for a country of over 200 million people, that is small,” he said, adding that some newly qualified specialists may not yet be registered and others have left the country.
He said many gynecologists are concentrated in Lagos and Abuja, as well as Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu. States such as Niger, Kogi, Kebbi and Jigawa have very few specialists, while insecurity has driven some doctors from states like Zamfara, where a gynecologist was kidnapped for four weeks last year.
“In a place like Kebbi State, there are about 10 gynecologists in the whole state,” Aimakhu said. “For a state like that, it is too small.”
The shortage extends beyond doctors. As of 2023, Nigeria had fewer than 200,000 midwives serving a population of more than 217 million. Under the World Health Organization benchmark of 44.5 midwives per 10,000 people, Nigeria would need roughly 700,000 additional nurses and midwives to meet minimum standards.
Health experts warn that the shortfall has led to overcrowded antenatal clinics, overstretched labor wards and delays in emergency care, particularly in underserved communities.
With Nigeria’s maternal mortality rate far above the global target of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals, experts say urgent investment in workforce expansion, improved security and better health infrastructure is needed to reverse the trend.
