Nigeria’s health insurance enrolment has risen sharply to over 22m, but the country still faces a significant coverage gap as millions of Nigerians remain exposed to rising out-of-pocket healthcare costs.
The National Health Insurance Authority said enrolment had reached 22.03 million by July 2026, representing a 35 per cent year-on-year increase as the government quickens implementation of mandatory health insurance under the NHIA Act.
The growth reflects increased participation in federal and state-backed health insurance programmes, with state social health insurance agencies emerging as major drivers of coverage.
Data from the NHIA’s fourth-quarter 2025 dashboard showed that state schemes accounted for 9.74m beneficiaries, compared with 7.07m under NHIA-managed programmes.
However, the expansion remains insufficient relative to Nigeria’s population, leaving a large proportion of citizens without health insurance and vulnerable to medical expenses.
