NigeriaPolls · Index

Healthcare Access Index

Name: Nigeria Healthcare Access Index
Creator: NigeriaPolls
Published: 2026-07-09
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Measuring hospital and clinic availability, NHIS coverage, doctor ratios and health outcomes across all 36 states and FCT. Compare rankings and track progress toward universal health coverage in Nigeria.

National Score

39.8

+1.5999999999999943from 38.2 last quarter

View Rankings Methodology

Total Facilities

39,500+

Hospitals, clinics & PHCs

↑ 3.2% YoY

NHIS Coverage

5.0%

National population

↑ 0.4pp YoY

Doctors per 100k

3.8

National average

↓ vs WHO target 10

State Rankings

Healthcare Access by State

Complete ranking of all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory based on composite healthcare access scores. Click any state to view detailed health profiles, facility maps, and historical trends.

Rank	State	Score	Facilities / 100k	NHIS %	Doctors / 100k
1	Lagos	56.3	8.2	18.5%	14.2
2	FCT Abuja	55.1	7.8	22.3%	16.8
3	Ogun	52.4	6.5	12.1%	9.5
4	Delta	50.8	6.1	9.8%	8.2
5	Rivers	49.5	5.9	8.5%	7.9
6	Oyo	48.9	5.6	7.9%	7.4
7	Ondo	47.7	5.4	7.2%	6.8
8	Osun	47.2	5.2	6.8%	6.5
9	Ekiti	46.8	5.1	6.5%	6.2
10	Enugu	46.1	4.9	6.1%	6
11	Anambra	45.7	4.8	5.9%	5.8
12	Cross River	45.2	4.6	5.4%	5.5
13	Akwa Ibom	44.8	4.5	5.1%	5.3
14	Edo	44.3	4.4	4.8%	5.1
15	Kwara	43.7	4.2	4.5%	4.8
16	Abia	43.2	4.1	4.2%	4.6
17	Imo	42.8	4	3.9%	4.4
18	Plateau	42.1	3.8	3.5%	4.1
19	Benue	41.5	3.6	3.2%	3.8
20	Kogi	41	3.5	3%	3.6
21	Nasarawa	40.4	3.4	2.8%	3.4
22	Taraba	39.8	3.2	2.5%	3.1
23	Bayelsa	39.2	3.1	2.3%	2.9
24	Ebonyi	38.6	3	2.1%	2.7
25	Niger	38.1	2.9	1.9%	2.5
26	Adamawa	37.5	2.8	1.7%	2.3
27	Kaduna	36.8	2.6	1.5%	2.1
28	Kano	36.2	2.5	1.4%	2
29	Bauchi	35.6	2.4	1.2%	1.8
30	Katsina	35.1	2.3	1.1%	1.7
31	Gombe	34.5	2.2	1%	1.5
32	Jigawa	33.8	2.1	0.9%	1.4
33	Kebbi	26.2	1.6	0.6%	1
34	Sokoto	25.6	1.5	0.5%	0.9
35	Zamfara	24.8	1.4	0.4%	0.8
36	Borno	23.4	1.2	0.3%	0.6
37	Yobe	22.1	1.1	0.2%	0.5

Top 5 States

1

56.3

2

55.1

3

52.4

4

50.8

5

49.5

Bottom 5 States

33

26.2

34

25.6

35

24.8

36

23.4

37

22.1

Infrastructure

Healthcare Facility Density

The number of healthcare facilities per 100,000 people is a critical measure of physical access to care. The World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 5 facilities per 100,000 for adequate primary healthcare coverage. Only 8 Nigerian states currently meet this threshold.

Facility Density by Zone

South-West5.8 / 100,000

Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti

South-East4.5 / 100,000

Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Imo, Ebonyi

South-South4.8 / 100,000

Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo, Bayelsa

North-Central3.4 / 100,000

Kwara, Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, FCT

North-East2.1 / 100,000

Adamawa, Taraba, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe

North-West2.0 / 100,000

Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara

Facility Type Breakdown

Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs): Constitute approximately 72% of all facilities nationwide but are unevenly distributed. Many rural PHCs lack basic equipment, essential medicines, and qualified staff. Only 43% of PHCs nationwide have at least one trained midwife.

Secondary Facilities: General hospitals and comprehensive health centres account for 21% of facilities. These are concentrated in state capitals and major towns, leaving rural populations with limited access to surgical and specialist care.

Tertiary Facilities: Federal medical centres and teaching hospitals represent just 7% of facilities but handle the most complex cases. There are only 52 tertiary institutions for a population exceeding 220 million, creating severe referral bottlenecks.

Private Sector Role: Private clinics and hospitals provide an estimated 60% of outpatient care in urban areas but are largely unaffordable for low-income households. Private facility density in Lagos is 4.2 per 100,000, compared to just 0.3 in Yobe.

Infrastructure Gap: To reach the WHO minimum threshold, Nigeria needs approximately 71,000 additional primary healthcare facilities — requiring an estimated capital investment of ₦2.8 trillion based on current construction costs.

Financial Access

NHIS Coverage & Insurance Penetration

Health insurance coverage is a critical determinant of whether Nigerians can actually afford care when they need it. With national NHIS penetration at just 5%, out-of-pocket payments dominate, pushing millions into poverty each year due to catastrophic health expenditures.

NHIS Coverage by State

Lagos18.5%

FCT Abuja22.3%

Ogun12.1%

Delta9.8%

Rivers8.5%

Oyo7.9%

Ondo7.2%

Osun6.8%

Ekiti6.5%

Enugu6.1%

Anambra5.9%

Cross River5.4%

Akwa Ibom5.1%

Kebbi0.6%

Sokoto0.5%

Zamfara0.4%

Borno0.3%

Yobe0.2%

Formal Sector Coverage

12.8%

Federal & state employees

Informal Sector Coverage

2.1%

Self-employed, farmers, traders

Vulnerable Group Coverage

8.5%

Pregnant women, children, elderly

Private Insurance

1.2%

HMOs & employer plans

Trend Analysis

12-Month National Trend

The national Healthcare Access Index has shown steady improvement over the past 12 months, rising from 38.2 to 39.8. This 4.2% increase reflects new PHC construction in several states, modest NHIS enrollment expansion, and private sector clinic growth in urban centres. However, the pace remains insufficient to meet Universal Health Coverage goals by 2030.

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Start: 38.2 (Aug 2025)Current: 39.8Change: +1.6

Southern Zone

+2.1

Average improvement over 12 months

Northern Zone

+0.8

Average improvement over 12 months

FCT & Central

+1.5

Average improvement over 12 months

Methodology

How We Calculate the Healthcare Access Index

The Healthcare Access Index is a composite metric designed to provide an objective, comparable measure of healthcare availability and accessibility across Nigeria's states. Our methodology combines multiple data sources and normalizes indicators to a 0-100 scale.

Data Sources

●Federal Ministry of Health — National Health Facility Registry
●National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) — Enrollment and coverage data
●Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria — Registered practitioner counts
●National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) — Health survey and demographic data
●NPHCDA — Immunization coverage and maternal health outcomes

Component Weights

Facility Density30%

NHIS Coverage Rate25%

Doctor-Population Ratio20%

Immunization Coverage15%

Maternal Health Outcomes10%

Scoring Method

Each component is normalized to a 0-100 scale using min-max normalization against Nigerian benchmarks and WHO standards. The composite score is a weighted average of the five components. States are ranked monthly based on the latest available data. Data updates occur quarterly, with the index published within two weeks of data receipt. Full methodological documentation is available on our methodology page.

Public Opinion

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Experience

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Healthcare Access Index?

The Healthcare Access Index is a composite metric developed by NigeriaPolls to measure and compare healthcare availability and accessibility across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. It combines facility density, NHIS coverage rates, doctor-to-population ratios, immunization coverage, and maternal health outcomes into a single score out of 100.

Which Nigerian state has the best healthcare access?

Lagos currently ranks first with a Healthcare Access Index score of 56.3, followed by the Federal Capital Territory (55.1) and Ogun State (52.4). Lagos leads due to its higher concentration of hospitals and clinics, greater number of registered medical practitioners, and broader private health insurance participation.

What is the NHIS coverage rate in Nigeria?

National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) coverage remains low at approximately 5% of the population nationally. Coverage varies dramatically by state: FCT leads at 22.3%, while Yobe has only 0.2% coverage. Most Nigerians still pay out-of-pocket for healthcare, making access dependent on personal income rather than need.

How many healthcare facilities are there per 100,000 people?

Facility density varies from 8.2 per 100,000 in Lagos to just 1.1 in Yobe. The WHO recommends at least 5 facilities per 100,000 for basic primary healthcare coverage. Only 8 Nigerian states currently meet this threshold, leaving over two-thirds of the population in states with insufficient facility access.

Why is the national healthcare score only 39.8?

The score reflects systemic underinvestment in health infrastructure, severe workforce shortages, and low insurance penetration. Nigeria has fewer than 4 doctors per 100,000 people in most states, compared to the WHO recommendation of 10. Combined with inadequate facilities and high out-of-pocket costs, access remains severely constrained for the majority of citizens.

Where does NigeriaPolls source healthcare data?

We aggregate data from the Federal Ministry of Health, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), WHO Nigeria office, and state ministry of health reports. Our methodology page provides full transparency on data sources, validation procedures, and update schedules.

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