Nigeria’s spending on medical tourism recorded a significant decline to 96.2% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to the latest data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria covering January to June of both years. The report obtained by our correspondent on Saturday showed that in the first six months of 2024, medical tourism spending stood at $2.38m, driven largely by a sharp outlay in January. A comparison of both periods shows a sharp contraction of $2.29m, representing a 96.2 per cent decrease in medical tourism spending year-on-year between the first halves of 2024 and 2025. The sustained decline suggests a major shift in outbound medical travel patterns, potentially reflecting tighter foreign exchange conditions, increased domestic healthcare utilisation, or policy and economic pressures limiting overseas medical spending. Overall, medical tourism spending declined by $2.29m, falling from $2.38m in the first half of 2024 to just $0.09m in the corresponding period of 2025, highlighting a pronounced slowdown in Nigerians’ overseas healthcare expenditure.

Source: Punch January 03, 2026 16:59 UTC