The number of English families seeking to become legal parents of children born to Nigerian surrogate mothers has increased nearly tenfold over the past decade, official data shows. According to figures from the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), court applications for parental orders involving Nigerian surrogates rose from six in 2015 to 59 in 2025.

Surrogacy, a practice where a woman agrees to carry a child for intended parents who assume parental responsibility after birth, is regulated in the UK by specific legal conditions. Intended parents must apply for a parental order within six months of the child’s birth, demonstrate a genetic link to the child, and ensure the surrogate has received no more than reasonable expenses. Surrogacy arrangements where the surrogate is paid beyond reasonable costs are prohibited.

While the United States remains the most popular destination for English parents arranging surrogacy overseas—registering 125 parental order applications last year—the rise in cases involving Nigeria has drawn significant attention. The Nigerian cases, though still accounting for less than 0.01 percent of surrogate births registered in the UK annually, reflect a wider increase in international surrogacy. Overall, parental orders relating to children born to surrogate mothers overseas have doubled from 150 in 2018 to 300 in 2024.

Legal experts suggest that the increase in Nigerian surrogacy may be linked to lower costs and growing appeal among families of African heritage. However, the trend has sparked concerns among advocacy groups about the potential exploitation of Nigerian women.

Representatives of feminist and anti-surrogacy organizations have sounded warnings about the industry’s expansion in Nigeria. Lexi Ellingsworth of Stop Surrogacy Now described the process as one in which vulnerable women are recruited, medically implanted, and contractually bound to relinquish their babies immediately after birth, who are then transported to the UK. She highlighted that while adoption from Nigeria is restricted due to concerns over corruption and exploitation, there are currently no such limitations on surrogacy arrangements.

Helen Gibson from Surrogacy Concern, a group campaigning for surrogacy bans, criticized parents for pursuing arrangements “at ever cheaper prices in jurisdictions where mothers have no rights.” Gibson cited instances where surrogate mothers in Nigeria have used their own eggs, received minimal compensation, and subsequently disappeared, complicating the necessary legal consent in British courts.

The rise in surrogacy-related applications involving Nigerian mothers underscores the challenges faced by regulators and advocates in balancing reproductive rights, ethical concerns, and legal safeguards amid growing international demand.