In 2025, roughly *** thousand doctors were registered in the United Kingdom. The age group with the highest number of doctors is among 30 to 34 years with nearly ** thousand professionals, followed those aged 35 to 39 years. There were **** thousand doctors aged over 70 years in the UK still registered. Gender distribution of UK doctors In total, there are **** male doctors than female doctors registered in the UK. However, there are differences by age group. The majority of younger doctors are female. In fact, there is a clear divide, in 2025, there were more male doctors in all age groups over ** years, while in all age groups younger than ** years, female doctors outweighed males. The gender distribution also varies depending on the specialty of the doctor. General Practice Of the *** thousand doctors registered in the United Kingdom in 2024, around **** thousand were registered as general practitioners. In the last ten years, the ratio of patients per GP practice has been increasing, indicating a stretch on the health service. In 2016, there were, approximately *** thousand patients to each GP practice in England, by 2024 this figure had climbed to over ** thousand.

As of September 2024, there were 146,387 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors in NHS Hospitals and Community Health Services (HCHS) in England, which is more than two thousand times the number reported in September 1995.

This report shows monthly numbers of NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) staff working in NHS Trusts and other core organisations in England (excluding primary care staff). Data are available as headcount and full-time equivalents and for all months from 30 September 2009 onwards. These data are a summary of the validated data extracted from the NHS HR and Payroll system. Additional statistics on staff in NHS Trusts and other core organisations and information for NHS Support Organisations and Central Bodies are published each: September (showing June statistics) December/January (showing September statistics) March (showing December statistics) June (showing March statistics) Quarterly NHS Staff Earnings, monthly NHS Staff Sickness Absence reports, and data relating to the General Practice workforce and the Independent Healthcare Provider workforce are also available via the Related Links below. We welcome feedback on the methodology and tables within this publication. Please email us with your comments and suggestions, clearly stating Monthly HCHS Workforce as the subject heading, via enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk or 0300 303 5678.

In 2024, there were over *** thousand medical practitioners employed in the United Kingdom. This is an increase from 2010 when there were *** thousand doctors in the UK. Between these years, the number of medical practitioners has experienced little fluctuations with large increases since 2020 (which could be due to temporary emergency registration measures taken up during the pandemic). Patterns of employment in the UK health sector The number of health professionals overall in the UK stood at *** million in 2024, also a large increase in the number of workers from 2010. The number of nurses in the UK has also been increasing since 2010, amounting to *** thousand in 2023. Impact of Brexit Doctors who qualified in a country from the European Economic Area (EEA) took up almost ** percent share of the total doctors registered in the UK in 2023. This is the lowest proportion since 2011, although the decline had started prior to the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

In 2025, out of the *** thousand registered doctors in the United Kingdom, *** thousand were men and *** thousand were women. There was a more pronounced gender gap among specialist doctors in the UK, with ** thousand men to nearly ** thousand women qualified on the specialist register. Although on the GP register, women outnumber men with over ** thousand female GPs to nearly ** thousand male GPs. Gender distribution of UK doctors by age While there are **** male doctors than female doctors in total, the gender distribution of doctors in the UK looks different depending on the age group. Female doctors ********* their male counterpart in all age groups under 45 years old. Therefore, as more doctors retire, the proportion of female doctors will increase. Worldwide make-up of doctors in the UK Although the majority of medical practitioners in the UK received their medical qualification from within the UK, there is still a significant number of doctors who graduated outside the UK. As of 2024, some ** percent of registered doctors in the UK are from the European Economic Area (EEA) while a further third are international medical graduates (IMG) indicating the reliance of the NHS on immigration to support the organization’s workforce.

Physicians (per 1,000 people) in United Kingdom was reported at 3.174 in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United Kingdom - Physicians - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In 2023, there were approximately 227 thousand healthcare physicians employed in the United Kingdom (UK). Since 2000, the number of physicians has increased by roughly 100 thousand, steadily growing year-on-year. This figure includes all physicians who provide services for patients, including specialized physicians.

In the United Kingdom, there were slightly more female doctors employed in England, while there were nearly twice as many female doctors as male doctors in Scotland. Conversely, Northern Ireland had more male medical practitioners, while Wales also employed more male doctors than their female counterparts.

Forecast: Density of Medical Doctors Graduates in the UK 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

The number of doctors registered in the United Kingdom has increased over the period observed, from 240,000 in 2006 to over 393,000 by 2024. This was largely due to the increase in female doctors, which has more than doubled in this period. The gap between the number of male and female doctors is narrowing each year. The gender gap has already closed for licensed doctors* in the UK

A detailed view of the NHS Medical and dental workforce including consultants, registrars and other doctors in training. Data for medical and dental staff are an annual snapshot of the number of doctors within hospital and community health services (HCHS) of the NHS. It excludes General Practitioners, GP practice staff and high street dentists. The detailed results contain further data tables for September 2012 for England by age, gender, specialty and grade and selected data by Strategic Health Authority area and individual organisation. This report is one of three that make up the NHS Staff 2002 - 2012 publication, along with: non-medical staff 2002 - 2012 general practice staff 2002 - 2012 For a general overview, see NHS Staff 2002 - 2012 overview

In 2025, among specialists, the most common specialty group in the UK was medicine, accounting for over ** thousand doctors. Roughly **** of which were specialized in general (internal) medicine, while nearly *** thousand were cardiologists. A further nearly ** thousand of specialists specialized in surgery and nearly ** thousand were specialized in anesthetics and intensive care medicine. Age breakdown of doctors In the UK, the age group with the highest number of doctors is among 30 to 34 with nearly ** thousand, followed by ** thousand registered doctors aged 35 to 39 years. There are almost ** thousand over 70s in the UK who continue to be registered doctors. Diverse composition of health workforce In 2024, *** percent of licensed doctors in the UK graduated from the European Economic Area (EEA). The share of EEA graduates in the UK doctor’s workforce has been decreasing since 2014, when English language requirements of doctors were tightened. Furthermore, ** percent of specialist in the UK received their primary medical qualification in the EEA, the highest share of EEA graduates among all doctors.

In 2024, there were over 318,000 medical practitioners employed in the United Kingdom. This included 271,000 doctors in England, 23,400 in Scotland, 14,500 thousand in Wales, and 9,400 thousand in Northern Ireland.

Comprehensive dataset of 42,219 Doctors in United Kingdom as of July, 2025. Includes verified contact information (email, phone), geocoded addresses, customer ratings, reviews, business categories, and operational details. Perfect for market research, lead generation, competitive analysis, and business intelligence. Download a complimentary sample to evaluate data quality and completeness.

The General Medical Practices industry’s revenue is anticipated to stay flat overall during the five years through 2025-26. However, in 2025-26, revenue is estimated to edge up by 1% to £16.6 billion. The industry has faced numerous pressures that have led it to stagnate. Despite high demand from an ageing population, coupled with a rise in chronic illnesses like obesity and diabetes leading to a surge in demand for healthcare services, long waiting lists, chronic underfunding and staff shortages persist. There has been a notable decline in the number of qualified GPs in recent years – according to the British Medical Association, there were 1,115 fewer fully qualified GPs in April 2025 than in September 2015. In 2024, collective action from GPs against NHS contracts, partly due to only 8.1% of total NHS funding being spent on primary care, according to the NHS Confederation, led to services faltering and backlogs increasing. As reported by NHS England, backlogs have been rising by an average of 18,751 patients each month in early 2025. In recent years, the emergence of private-sector providers as a competitive alternative for patients seeking faster access to healthcare services has started to reshape the industry. Low disposable income hinders individual household demand for private healthcare, but corporations continue to invest in it for employee benefits. More private providers are being handed NHS contracts, helping a struggling NHS stay on its feet. Such partnerships are changing revenue and profit patterns within the industry. Typically, publicly backed GPs are not for profit and any surplus is reinvested back into the system, but privately backed GPs keep hold of their profit for shareholders and management. Over the five years through 2030-31, revenue is forecast to expand at a compound annual rate of 3.6% to reach £19.9 billion. The Labour government’s £29 billion transformation plan is looking to revitalise the NHS over the 10 years through 2035, improving GP infrastructure, patient handling and contractual models. This aims to enhance patient access, while alleviating administrative burdens and should help to bolster general medical practices' revenue. The new 2025-26 NHS GP contract looks to enhance the digitisation of the NHS, cutting back time spent on admin and freeing up more time for consultations, bolstering productivity.

As of 2025, in the majority of specialty groups, the number of male doctors exceeded female doctors, except for pediatrics, OB/GYN, pathology, and public health. While there were more male doctors overall, they tended to be specialists. Meanwhile, female doctors were more likely to choose to be a general practitioner (GP).

This report is one of four publications that make up the NHS Staff 2004 - 2014 publication, along with: Non Medical staff 2004 - 2014 General Practice Staff 2004 - 2014 NHS Staff 2004 - 2014 Overview report This report provides a detailed view of the NHS Medical and dental workforce including consultants, registrars and other doctors in training as at 30 September 2004 to 2014. This is an annual snapshot of the number of doctors within hospital and community health services (HCHS) of the NHS. It excludes General Practitioners, GP practice staff and high street dentists. The detailed results section contain further data tables for September 2014 for England by age, gender, specialty and grade and selected data by Health Education England area and individual organisation. NHS staff data (excluding GPs and their staff) is also published each month, the December 2014 data is published on the same day as these reports.

The number of doctors in the specialist register in the United Kingdom increased over the period observed, from nearly 58 thousand in 2006 to over 112 thousand in 2024. The sudden increase in specialists in 2020 could be explained by the emergency measures taken in the early stages of the pandemic, such as the introduction of a temporary emergency register and the earlier registration of graduates. Similar spikes were also noticed among other doctors, such as general practitioners.

Forecast: Number of Physicians Employed in Hospitals in the UK 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Number of Practising Physicians in Occupational Medicine in the UK 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!