Nigeria — Health spending
Health Spending (% of GDP) for Nigeria, 2000–2023.
Health spending for Nigeria was 4.19% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 24 years, from 2000 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 5.05% in 2003. The lowest was 2.49% in 2002 (about 1.7× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.18% per year.
Nigeria ranks 149 of 189 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 79%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 4.48%, so Nigeria sits below it. It peaked in 2003 and has fallen 17% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved up 23%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 28 of 46 economies; Niger (4.05%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 103% in 2003. That is 16% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 59 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 155th of 184 in 2000 → 163rd of 188 in 2010 → 176th of 189 in 2020 → 148th of 188 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 2000 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4.19% | -0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 4.21% | +0.1 pp |
| 2021 | 4.08% | +0.7 pp |
| 2020 | 3.38% | +0.4 pp |
| 2019 | 2.99% | -0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 3.09% | -0.7 pp |
| 2017 | 3.75% | +0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 3.65% | +0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 3.58% | +0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 3.35% | -0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 3.42% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 3.36% | +0.0 pp |
| 2011 | 3.32% | +0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 3.3% | -0.3 pp |
| 2009 | 3.58% | -0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 3.7% | -0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 3.91% | -0.3 pp |
| 2006 | 4.26% | -0.2 pp |
| 2005 | 4.47% | -0.2 pp |
| 2004 | 4.63% | -0.4 pp |
| 2003 | 5.05% | +2.6 pp |
| 2002 | 2.49% | -0.7 pp |
| 2001 | 3.19% | -0.0 pp |
| 2000 | 3.2% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Nigeria’s Health spending in 2001?
3.19% (2001). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Nigeria’s Health spending growing or shrinking?
Between 2000 and 2023 the series was growing overall: +31.1% in total — about 1.2% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2023: 4.19%; 2022: 4.21%; 2021: 4.08%; 2020: 3.38%; 2019: 2.99%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS — Health Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.