Two in three newly licensed UK doctors qualified abroad
Doctors taking up a UK licence for the first time, by where they qualified, 2012–2024.
Of 27,906 doctors licensed for the first time in 2024, 18,647 qualified outside the UK.
The first year doctors trained abroad outnumbered new UK graduates (7,412 vs 7,172).
Overseas-qualified new licensees now outnumber UK graduates (9,237) two to one.
the numbers
| Year | Qualified abroad | Qualified in the UK |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 5,046 | 7,078 |
| 2013 | 5,392 | 7,448 |
| 2014 | 5,631 | 7,382 |
| 2015 | 4,064 | 7,416 |
| 2016 | 4,869 | 7,163 |
| 2017 | 5,658 | 7,024 |
| 2018 | 7,412 | 7,172 |
| 2019 | 9,971 | 7,333 |
| 2020 | 9,001 | 7,429 |
| 2021 | 11,554 | 7,347 |
| 2022 | 13,100 | 7,797 |
| 2023 | 17,940 | 8,265 |
| 2024 | 18,647 | 9,237 |
source notes & method
Figure 2: doctors taking up a licence for the first time, by route, 2012–2024. 'Qualified abroad' = all international medical graduate routes (sponsorship, PLAB, postgraduate qualification, AORE, REQ) plus EEA graduates; summed by progrss. 'Other' route (22 in 2024) excluded. EEA graduates moved into the IMG routes after Brexit (2021). First-time licences are not identical to workforce joiners (GMC counts 30,444 joiners in 2024 on a different basis). GMC says the main source countries are India and Pakistan.
Published 3 Nov 2026
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