In 2024, there were approximately 743 thousand nurses in employment in the United Kingdom (UK). This is a 37 percent overall increase from 2010 when there were around 541 thousand nurses. Trends among other healthcare personnel in the UK  The number of medical practitioners employed in the UK amounted to approximately 339 thousand in 2021. This is an increase from the 236 thousand practitioners in 2010. The number of midwives in the UK amounted to 57.6 thousand in 2021, but has been slightly declining in numbers since 2013. Impact of Brexit Since the UK made the decision to leave the European Union, the number of new nurses and midwives from the EEA has significantly decreased. In the year 2018/19, the number of new registrants from the EEA was less than one thousand, while almost 9.4 thousand joined from the EEA in 2015/16, which was before the referendum concerning the EU membership. 

As of September 2024, there were a total of 405,631 full-time equivalent (FTE) nurses, midwives, and ambulance staff in NHS Hospitals and Community Health Service (HCHS) in England.

In 2024, there were approximately 743 thousand nursing professionals in employment in the United Kingdom. This included midwives, community nurses, specialist nurses, nurse practitioners, mental health nurses, children's nurses, and others. The statistic presents the total number of employed and self-employed nursing and midwifery professionals in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2024.

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 an accurate 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.

United Kingdom UK: Nurses and Midwives: per 1000 People data was reported at 8.421 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 8.437 Ratio for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Nurses and Midwives: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 8.719 Ratio from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2016, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.172 Ratio in 1997 and a record low of 0.628 Ratio in 2003. United Kingdom UK: Nurses and Midwives: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.World Bank: Health Statistics. Nurses and midwives include professional nurses, professional midwives, auxiliary nurses, auxiliary midwives, enrolled nurses, enrolled midwives and other associated personnel, such as dental nurses and primary care nurses.; ; World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.; Weighted average;

The General Practice Workforce series of Official Statistics presents a snapshot of the primary care general practice workforce. A snapshot statistic relates to the situation at a specific date, which for these workforce statistics is now the last calendar day each month. This monthly snapshot reflects the general practice workforce at 31 March 2025. These statistics present full-time equivalent (FTE) and headcount figures by four staff groups, (GPs, Nurses, Direct Patient Care (DPC) and administrative staff), with breakdowns of individual job roles within these high-level groups. For the purposes of NHS workforce statistics, we define full-time working to be 37.5 hours per week. Full-time equivalent is a standardised measure of the workload of an employed person. Using FTE, we can convert part-time and additional working hours into an equivalent number of full-time staff. For example, an individual working 37.5 hours would be classed as 1.0 FTE while a colleague working 30 hours would be 0.8 FTE. The term “headcount” relates to distinct individuals, and as the same person may hold more than one role, care should be taken when interpreting headcount figures. Please refer to the Using this Publication section for information and guidance about the contents of this publication and how it can and cannot be used. England-level time series figures for all job roles are available in the Excel bulletin tables back to September 2015 when this series of Official Statistics began. The Excel file also includes Sub-ICB Location-level FTE and headcount breakdowns for the current reporting period. CSVs containing practice-level summaries and Sub-ICB Location-level counts of individuals are also available. Please refer to the Publication content, analysis, and release schedule in the Using this publication section for more details of what’s available. We are continually working to improve our publications to ensure their contents are as useful and relevant as possible for our users. We welcome feedback from all users to PrimaryCareWorkforce@nhs.net.

In 2023, the age group with the highest number of registered nursing staff in the UK was 31 to 40 years, with over 212 thousand nurses. Overall, there were 788,638 registered nursing staff during this period. This statistic displays the number of nurses, midwives and nursing associates registered in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2023, by age group.

Forecast: Number of Nurses Licensed to Practice in the UK 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Practising Nurses in the UK 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Since the UK made the decision to leave the European Union, the number of new nurses and midwives from the European Economic Area (EEA) has significantly decreased. In the year 2022/23, the number of new registrants from the EEA was 651, while almost 9.4 thousand joined from the EEA in 2015/16, before the UK’s referendum on EU membership.  

Brexit impact?

It is true for most of those who are leaving the nursing register from the EU and EEA that Brexit has had an impact on their decision to do so. In a survey of leavers in 2018, 66 percent cited that they are leaving or have left the UK, with 51 percent saying that Brexit has encouraged them to consider working outside of the UK.

General trend in nurses in the UK

In 2018 there were approximately 670 thousand nurses in the UK, down from 675 thousand in 2016. The number of nurses in te UK has generally increased since 2010. Conversely, from the trend of nurses from the EEA, the number of nurses joining from outside the EEA has increased significantly since 2016, while the number leaving has slightly decreased.

As of November 2023, over 41.8 thousand mental health nurses worked for the National Health Service (NHS) in England. From 2016 to 2023, the number of mental health nurses staff had a slight steady increase. This statistic depicts the total number of mental health nurses in the NHS Hospitals and Community Health Service (HCHS) workforce in England from 2009 to 2023.

In 2023, the majority of the nursing staff in the UK are registered as general adult nurses at approximately 587 thousand. Mental health was the field of practice with the second-highest number of nursing staff. This statistic displays the number of nursing staff registered in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2023, by field of practice.

Forecast: Population Per Nurses Graduates in the UK 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Number of Associate Professional Nurses, Practising in the UK 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

This is the latest compendium publication in the NHS Vacancy Statistics series containing vacancy related data for the NHS which provide different views on recruitment information for the NHS. Data from NHS Jobs, the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and Trac Recruitment Management Software (Trac) provide a range of proxy data sources for NHS vacancies. The series also includes management information related to vacancies within the NHS which have been collected by NHS England (NHSE). Due to the complex nature of how NHS vacancy data is defined and collected, all data sources should be treated with a degree of caution. Users should note these data do not indicate how much of the reported substantive gap is filled by temporary staff. NHS England is currently developing guidance for NHS Trusts regarding the recording of Establishment numbers (planned and funded workforce levels), which are used in the calculation of vacancy rates. This is to ensure that these figures are recorded consistently by Trusts and provide a more accurate figure of establishment and therefore vacancy rates. This work may also consider the collection and presentation of data on the temporary staff who are employed by Trusts, to enhance existing vacancy data and information. To help with the development of this publication, feedback can be sent to: enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk with the subject heading ‘NHS Vacancy Statistics publication feedback’.

Forecast: Share of Associate Nurses Employed in Hospitals in the UK 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Density of Professional Nurses and Midwives Employed in Hospitals in the UK 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

The UK has an ageing population – for the Residential Nursing Care industry, this is an opportunity for growth with demand for more beds expanding. Homes have upped their average weekly fees, contributing to revenue. High inflation over the two years through 2023-24 has raised fees further. However, state involvement has limited growth, which has kept care fees artificially low for many nursing home residents. Residential nursing care revenue is anticipated to remain stable at £9.3 billion over the five years through 2024-25, including revenue growth of 3% in 2024-25. Weak government funding and wage cost pressures caused by the rising National Living Wage (which will increase to £12.21 in April 2025) have constrained profitability. Labour supply shortages caused by high turnover rates have been of particular concern. According to Skills For Care, the job vacancy rate in 2023-24 in the adult care sector was 8.3%, way above the average rate in the UK economy. That being said, the vacancy rate is declining thanks mainly to a government-driven recruitment drive to attract overseas workers, which has been helped by reducing visa requirements. Rising real household disposable income had supported more self-funded residents, aiding residential nursing care. However, data from the ONS revealed the percentage of self-funded residents fell from 36.7% in 2019-20 to 34.9% over the year through February 2022. In the year through February 2023, this has risen again to 37% of the 372,035 care home residents. Families are still struggling with the rising cost of living, reducing the number of people able to afford private care home costs, which has somewhat constrained revenue growth. Over the five years through 2029-30, residential and nursing care revenue is estimated to expand at a compound annual rate of 4.1% to £11.4 billion. Robust demand from an ageing population will support industry growth. However, plans for adult social care reforms are to be released in two stages (the first in 2026 and the second in 2028), which has caused greater uncertainty for the sector's future. Staff shortage concerns will continue to plague nursing care.

NHS Hospital and Community Health Service (HSCS) monthly workforce statistics: qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in England, by area and level.

NHS Hospital & Community Health Service (HCHS) monthly workforce statistics: Support to doctors and nursing staff in England by area and level. This provides details of the numbers of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff employed by the NHS in England in the following support roles: - Nursing Assistant Practitioner - Nursery nurse - Nursing assistant/auxiliary - Nurse learners - Healthcare assistant - Support worker - Clerical & administrative - Estates (maintenance & works)

These statistics relate to the contracted positions within English NHS organisations and may include those where the person assigned to the position is temporarily absent, for example on maternity leave.