A striking visualisation compiled with Datawrapper reveals a sobering pattern: over the past two decades, Europe has served as the primary medical refuge for African presidents and prime ministers—many of whom made it back home in coffins.
Between 2003 and 2025, at least 13 African leaders have sought medical treatment abroad, most often in Europe, underscoring the continent’s age-old reliance on foreign healthcare systems despite decades of independence and billions spent on national referral hospitals.
The list begins in 2003 with Michael Kijana Wamalwa, Kenya’s vice president, who died aged 58 in London. The British capital has since become a recurring destination for ailing African heads of state, including Michael Sata of Zambia (2014) and Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria (2025), both of whom died there.
Paris is another top destination. Zambia’s Levy Mwanawasa and Guinea-Bissau’s Malam Bacai Sanhá sought medical treatment in the French capital and died in 2008 and 2012 respectively.
Togo’s Gnassingbé Eyadéma died en route to France in 2005, reinforcing France’s long-standing role as the hospital of choice for its former colonies.
Algeria’s Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who died at home in 2021, had spent some time in and out of hospitals in France after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2013.
Spain, Belgium and Singapore also appear in the visualisation—hosting Angola’s José Eduardo dos Santos (Barcelona, 2022), Ethiopia’s Meles Zenawi (Brussels, 2012) and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe (Singapore, 2019).
Only two leaders on the list died on home soil—John Atta Mills of Ghana (2012) and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of Nigeria (2010)—but, prior to their deaths, both had sought medical treatment in the United States and Saudi Arabia respectively, highlighting how even when leaders die at home, their treatment journeys often take them abroad.
The trend persists into 2025, with Raila Odinga (Kenya) dying in India and Buhari in London, suggesting little has changed.
Beyond the tragic fates, the visualisation points to a deeper issue: the lack of confidence African elite have in their own healthcare systems.
In August 2003, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda allowed his daughter Natasha Kainembabazi to use his official jet to fly to Germany to give birth to her second child.
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