Actual value and historical data chart for United Kingdom Physicians Per 1 000 People

The average for 2020 based on 27 countries was 3.56 doctors per 1,000 people. The highest value was in Austria: 5.35 doctors per 1,000 people and the lowest value was in Brazil: 2.05 doctors per 1,000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Among OECD countries in 2023, South Korea had the highest rate of yearly visits to a doctor per capita. On average, South Koreans visited the doctors 15.7 times per year in person. Health care utilization is an important indicator of the success of a country’s health care system. There are many factors that affect health care utilization including healthcare structure and the supply of health care providers. OECD health systems Healthcare systems globally include a variety of tools for accessing healthcare, including private insurance based systems, like in the U.S., and universal systems, like in the U.K. Health systems have varying costs among the OECD countries. Worldwide, Europe has the highest expenditures for health as a proportion of the GDP. Among all OECD countries, The United States had the one of the highest share of government spending on health care. Recent estimates of current per capita health expenditures showed the United States also had, by far, the highest per capita spending on health worldwide. Supply of health providers Globally, the country with the highest physician density is Cuba, although most other countries with high number of physicians to population was found in Europe. The number of graduates of medicine impacts the number of available physicians in countries. Among OECD countries, Latvia had the highest rate of graduates of medicine, which was almost twice the rate of the OECD average.

The average for 2020 based on 18 countries was 3.93 doctors per 1,000 people. The highest value was in Austria: 5.35 doctors per 1,000 people and the lowest value was in the United Kingdom: 3.03 doctors per 1,000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

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

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.

Yearly (annual) dataset of the United Kingdom Physicians per 1,000 people, including historical data, latest releases, and long-term trends from 1960-12-31 to 2022-12-31. Available for free download in CSV format.

Ukraine UA: Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 3.000 Ratio in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.506 Ratio for 2013. Ukraine UA: Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 3.686 Ratio from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2014, with 28 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.407 Ratio in 1995 and a record low of 2.951 Ratio in 2003. Ukraine UA: Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ukraine – Table UA.World Bank: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.; ; World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.; Weighted average;

Mali ML: Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 0.085 Ratio in 2010. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.076 Ratio for 2009. Mali ML: Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 0.044 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2010, with 19 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.085 Ratio in 2010 and a record low of 0.014 Ratio in 1960. Mali ML: Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mali – Table ML.World Bank: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.; ; World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.; Weighted average;

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.

Uzbekistan UZ: Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 2.451 Ratio in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.479 Ratio for 2013. Uzbekistan UZ: Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 2.975 Ratio from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2014, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.425 Ratio in 1991 and a record low of 2.451 Ratio in 2014. Uzbekistan UZ: Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Uzbekistan – Table UZ.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.; ; World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.; Weighted average;

The number of doctors registered in the United Kingdom has increased over the period observed, from *** thousand in 2006 to over *** thousand in 2024. This included ******* specialist doctors and ****** general practitioners (GPs). Registered doctors do not all have a license to practice, nor are they necessarily employed.

This report shows monthly numbers of NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) staff working in NHS Trusts and CCGs 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 CCGs 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 and 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. Following feedback from data users, there will be a change to the HCHS doctor grades of 'Associate Specialist' and 'Specialty Doctor' in relevant tables in this publication series. Two new specialty doctor and specialist grades were introduced in April 2021 and both were reported in NHS Digital tables within the 'Specialty Doctor' grade. One of these new grades for specialist is more appropriately classified within the 'Associate Specialist' category in NHS Digital data tables. Therefore, from March 2022 these will be included within the 'Associate Specialist' category and removed from 'Specialty Doctor'. The March 2022 data in the Provisional statistics file in this publication reflects this new approach, and the time series for data back to April 2021 will be revised for these two categories in the full March 2022 publication, released in June 2022. 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 2025, roughly *** thousand doctors were registered in the United Kingdom (UK). Of these, around *** thousand were white, while the largest ethnicity of UK doctors other than white was Asian or Asian British. Some *** thousand doctors reported so. This is unsurprising considering the most common foreign country of medical qualification is India, followed by Pakistan. As of 2024, there were more doctors of ethnic minorities than white doctors in the UK.

This statistic displays the results of a survey asking British people how frequently they visit a primary care physician as of 2018. According to data provided by Ipsos, ** percent of Brits consult their primary care physician ***** times or more in year, while ** percent of respondents stated that they never see their physician.

Portugal stands out as the European country with the highest density of general practitioners, boasting 2.86 GPs per 1,000 inhabitants in 2022. This figure is more than double that of many other European nations, highlighting significant disparities in primary care availability across the continent. Physician distribution across Europe While Portugal leads in GP density, other European countries show varying levels of physician availability. Germany, for instance, had the highest absolute number of practicing physicians in Europe in 2021, with nearly 377,000 doctors. Italy, France, the UK, and Spain followed closely behind. Hospital employment of physicians The employment of physicians in hospitals also varies significantly across Europe. In 2021, Germany employed 212,000 doctors in hospitals, showcasing its robust healthcare infrastructure. In contrast, Iceland had just over 1,000 hospital-employed physicians, reflecting the vast differences in population and healthcare system size among European nations.

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.

The United Kingdom's medical workforce reflects a diverse mix of professionals, with ** percent of all doctors receiving their primary medical qualification (PMQ) in the UK as of February 2025. This majority is even more pronounced among general practitioners, where a quarter obtained their qualifications domestically. International medical graduates make up a significant portion of the workforce, with ** percent of all doctors qualifying outside the UK and European Economic Area (EEA). Growth and composition of the medical workforce The number of registered doctors in the UK has shown consistent growth over the years, increasing from ******* in 2006 to over ******* in 2024. This expansion includes a substantial rise in specialists, with ******* specialist doctors registered in 2024. The number of general practitioners has also increased, reaching ****** GPs that year. However, GPs are still facing unprecedented pressure due to high workload and staff shortage, leading to burnout. Specialization and regional qualifications Among specialist doctors in the UK, medicine is the most common medical specialty group, accounting for over ****** doctors. Among them, half were specialized in general (internal) medicine. The impact of Brexit on the medical workforce is evident, with the share of EEA graduates among UK doctors decreasing since 2014. In 2025,around half of registered doctors received their PMQ in the UK, with India, Pakistan, and Nigeria being the most common countries of qualification outside the UK.

United Kingdom UK: Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 2.825 Ratio in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.807 Ratio for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 1.400 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 51 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.825 Ratio in 2016 and a record low of 0.800 Ratio in 1960. United Kingdom UK: Physicians: 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. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.; ; World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.; Weighted average;

Somalia SO: Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 0.029 Ratio in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.035 Ratio for 2010. Somalia SO: Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 0.037 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2014, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.071 Ratio in 1984 and a record low of 0.024 Ratio in 1960. Somalia SO: Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Somalia – Table SO.World Bank: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.; ; World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.; Weighted average;