UK nurses recruited from red‑list Nigeria and Ghana despite recruitment ban

Nigeria and Ghana have risen to become the second and third largest sources of internationally educated nurses and midwives joining the UK workforce, even though both countries appear on the NHS Employers’ recruitment “red list”. According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register, 1,614 nurses from Nigeria and 1,391 from Ghana entered the register in the year to March 2026, while India – a green‑list country – remained the biggest source with 4,215 newcomers, a 54.4% decline from the previous year. Overall, international recruitment slowed sharply, with only 10,961 internationally educated professionals joining in 2025‑26, down 47% from the prior year and representing 26.4% of all new registrants. The NMC reminded employers and recruitment agencies to adhere to the code of practice that discourages active targeting of red‑list nations, emphasizing ethical standards and global health‑equity concerns.

The code does not stop individual health‑care workers from applying directly for UK positions, and the NMC’s register now exceeds 867,935 members, with a record proportion of Black, Asian and ethnic‑minority professionals (33.8%).