Number of medical practitioners in the UK 2010-2024

In 2024, there were over 318 thousand medical practitioners in employment in the United Kingdom (UK). This is an increase from 2010 when there were 227 thousand practitioners 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 1.7 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 704 thousand in 2023.

Impact of Brexit

Doctors who qualified in a country from the European Economic Area (EEA) took up almost 10 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.