General practitioners in the United Kingdom statistics & facts

GPs in the UK at a glance

General practitioners are the front door of the NHS, yet their numbers have barely kept pace with demand. At the end of 2025, 82,415 doctors were on the General Medical Council (GMC) GP register, up from 77,659 in 2020. In England, NHS England Digital counted 29,223 full-time equivalent (FTE) fully qualified GPs in August 2026, about the same number as in 2015, while the number of registered patients has grown to more than 63.1 million. GPs also report the heaviest workload of any group of doctors: in 2025, 43 percent were struggling to cope at least once a week, compared with 30 percent of all doctors. This report sets out the key numbers on the GP workforce, earnings, wellbeing and training. For the wider medical workforce, see our overview of doctors in the United Kingdom.

A GP must hold a licence to practise and be on the GMC GP register, which normally requires completing at least three years of GP specialty training after the foundation programme. GPs work either as partners, who run their practice as a business and share its profits, as salaried GPs employed by a practice, or as locums who cover sessions. The balance between these roles has shifted markedly over the last decade, with fewer partners and more salaried doctors.

The GP register since 2020

The number of doctors on the GP register grew slowly in the 2020s. It stood at 77,659 at the end of 2020 and rose to 79,685 in 2021, before dipping to 78,619 in 2022. It then increased to 80,562 in 2023, slipped slightly to 80,237 in 2024 and reached 82,415 in 2025, an increase of 2.7 percent in the year. The register includes all doctors with GP status, whether or not they hold a licence or currently work in UK general practice, so it is larger than the number of practising GPs.

Slow growth: The GP register grew by about 4,800 doctors, or 6 percent, between 2020 and 2025.

New entrants are increasingly trained in the UK. In 2025 the GMC received 4,023 applications to join the GP register, 3.9 percent fewer than in 2024, and 49.4 percent of applicants had qualified in the UK. The female share of GPs has risen strongly: 58 percent of doctors on the GP register in 2024 were women, compared with 48 percent of GPs in 2012, and 60 percent of GP trainees in 2023 were women. More detail on gender and ethnicity is in our report on the demographics of UK doctors.

The GP workforce in England

NHS England Digital publishes monthly data on the general practice workforce in England. In August 2026 there were 40,515 FTE GPs in total, or 52,538 individuals. Of these, 29,223 FTE were fully qualified GPs and roughly 11,300 were GPs in training. Excluding training grades and locums, there were 28,598 FTE qualified permanent GPs. The number of fully qualified GPs rose by 2.9 percent in the year to August 2026, but it remains close to its 2015 level: according to BMA analysis of the same data, there were 142 fewer fully qualified FTE GPs in August 2026 than in September 2015.

A quarter still in training: About 11,300 of 40,515 FTE GPs in England were GP trainees.

The wider practice team has grown much faster than the number of GPs. The total general practice workforce in England, including nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and administrative staff, reached 152,528 FTE in August 2026, or 202,777 people. Many of the new roles are funded through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, and some GPs are now funded through it too: according to the BMA, 1,429 FTE GPs were funded through the scheme in July 2026.

The decline of the GP partnership

The traditional partnership model is shrinking. According to BMA analysis of NHS England data, there were 15,057 FTE GP partners in August 2026, down from 15,393 a year earlier and almost 6,600 fewer than in 2015. Over the same period, the number of practices in England fell to 6,143, with 1,480 practices closing or merging since 2015, so the average practice is now much larger. Partners carry the financial risk of running a practice, including premises and staff costs, and many younger GPs now prefer salaried or locum work.

Fewer GPs per patient means more pressure on each doctor. The BMA calculates that there were 2,160 patients for every fully qualified FTE GP in England in 2026, an increase of 222, or 11.5 percent, since 2015. In London the figure was 2,450. NHS England Digital counted 63,119,653 patients registered at GP practices on 1 September 2026.

GPs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Each UK nation counts its GP workforce differently. In Wales, the Welsh Government reported 1,635 FTE fully qualified GPs at the end of March 2026, an increase of 55, or 3.5 percent, on a year earlier. The GMC counted 2,945 doctors with a licence on the GP register working in Wales in February 2025. Scotland and Northern Ireland publish their own general practice statistics using headcount and different definitions, so direct comparisons with England should be made with care. Doctor numbers by nation are covered in our overview of UK doctors.

What GPs earn

GP partners earn more than salaried GPs but carry business risk. According to NHS England Digital, the average income before tax of contractor GPs in England was 164,200 pounds in 2024/25, up from 158,700 pounds in 2023/24. Salaried GPs earned 74,800 pounds on average, up from 72,200 pounds. The averages hide wide variation, because many GPs work part time: income per GP is not the same as pay for full-time work. The recommended salary range for salaried GPs in England in 2026/27 is 78,699 to 118,759 pounds for full-time work. Pay across all grades and nations is compared in our report on UK doctor pay.

Rising incomes: Contractor GP income rose 3.5 percent and salaried GP income 3.6 percent in 2024/25.

Workload and wellbeing

Surveys consistently show that GPs are the most pressured group of doctors. In the GMC Barometer survey, 80 percent of GPs worked beyond their rostered hours at least once a week in 2024, against 62 percent of all doctors, and 47 percent felt unable to cope with their workload weekly, against 33 percent. In 2025, 43 percent of GPs were classed as struggling and 60 percent found it difficult to provide sufficient patient care at least once a week, compared with 41 percent of all doctors. Dissatisfaction was also highest among GPs, at 47 percent in 2025.

GPs under most strain: Six in ten GPs struggle to provide sufficient care every week, against four in ten doctors overall.

There are some positives. GPs report more autonomy than other doctors, with 71 percent saying they have enough in 2025, and 77 percent feel part of a supportive team. The share of GPs at high risk of burnout fell from 31 percent in 2022 to 21 percent in 2023. The Royal College of General Practitioners reported in November 2025 that 28 percent of GPs feel so stressed they cannot cope at least once a week, that 73 percent believe workload pressures compromise patient safety and that nearly a third are unlikely to be working in general practice in five years. Our report on burnout among UK doctors covers the full survey data.

Like all doctors, GPs must take part in annual appraisal and revalidate their licence every five years, which includes keeping up to date through continuing professional development. Appraisal evidence typically covers learning activities, quality improvement, feedback and reflection on significant events. Online options such as CPD courses for healthcare professionals↗ are one way GPs record learning on topics like communication, consent and probity.

The GP training pipeline

Demand for GP training places has soared. In 2024 there were 15,036 applications for 4,096 GP specialty training posts in England, a ratio of 3.67 applications per post. In 2025 applications rose to 20,995 for 4,276 posts, a ratio of 4.91. Of the 14,497 appointable applicants in 2025, 4,534 were UK graduates. Following the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act, 100 percent of GP training posts in 2026 were accepted by UK graduates or doctors already working in the NHS, compared with 62 percent in 2025. More on training competition is in our report on specialty training in the UK.

Five applications per post: GP training applications rose 40 percent in a year while posts grew by 4 percent.

Outlook

The government has promised more GPs and an end to the so-called 8am scramble for appointments, and the number of fully qualified GPs is finally rising after a decade of stagnation. At the same time, experienced partners continue to leave and the number of patients per GP keeps rising. The balance between these trends will decide whether general practice recovers. Related data on international doctors, many of whom work in general practice, and on doctors leaving the UK is available in our related reports.

UK GPs in numbers

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