Nigerians spent nearly $6 billion on foreign travel in 2025, with education, medical tourism, business activities and personal trips driving a sharp increase in overseas spending.
Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that foreign travel expenditure rose by 32 per cent to $5.996 billion in 2025, compared with $4.544 billion recorded in 2024.
Experts say the trend reflects persistent challenges in Nigeria’s education, healthcare, tourism and aviation sectors, resulting in increased demand for services abroad and a growing outflow of foreign exchange.
According to the CBN data, spending was strongest during the first nine months of the year. Nigerians spent $1.267 billion on foreign travel in the first quarter, $1.688 billion in the second quarter and a peak of $1.806 billion in the third quarter. Spending slowed in the final quarter, falling to $1.235 billion.
Education-related travel accounted for the largest share of overseas spending. Nigerians spent $2.845 billion on foreign education in 2025, up 14.5 per cent from $2.484 billion in 2024. The figure rose steadily during the first three quarters before declining in the last quarter of the year.
Business travel also recorded remarkable growth. Spending on international business trips increased significantly across all quarters, reflecting rising cross-border commercial activities and corporate engagements by Nigerian businesses and professionals.
Medical tourism remained another major contributor to foreign travel expenses. Nigerians spent $684.72 million on overseas healthcare services in 2025, representing a 6.5 per cent increase from $643.15 million spent in 2024. Medical travel spending rose during the first three quarters before easing in the final quarter.
Personal travel for tourism and other private purposes also recorded strong growth. Expenditure in this category rose by 31.3 per cent to $1.62 billion in 2025 from $1.235 billion in the previous year.
Industry experts noted that foreign airlines were among the biggest beneficiaries of the increase in overseas travel. They pointed out that international carriers dominate most foreign routes from Nigeria, while local airlines have a limited presence on international destinations.
Director of Research at Zenith Travels and Consult Ltd, Olumide Ohunayo, said the growing preference for foreign education reflects concerns about the quality and focus of many local institutions. He argued that some private universities charge fees comparable to those of foreign schools without offering the same level of specialised programmes.
He also attributed rising medical tourism to poor infrastructure, unreliable power supply, insecurity and the migration of skilled professionals from the country. According to him, some Nigerians now find it cheaper to seek treatment in countries such as India and China than to access similar services locally.
Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Konzult, Chris Aligbe, said declining standards in the education sector have weakened confidence in Nigerian institutions, leading more families to seek academic opportunities abroad.
He added that the healthcare sector continues to struggle with inadequate funding, poor facilities and the departure of medical personnel, making overseas treatment attractive to many Nigerians.
On tourism, Aligbe noted that insecurity and the absence of a clear development strategy have limited the growth of Nigeria’s tourism industry. He said the country possesses vast tourism potential but has failed to fully develop many of its attractions.
The experts called on the government to improve infrastructure, strengthen security, invest more in education and healthcare, and support local airlines. They warned that without major reforms, Nigeria will continue to lose billions of dollars annually to foreign education, healthcare and tourism services.
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