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April 2025 - Health

For the first time in the UK there are now more female doctors than male doctors in the UK: Data from the General Medical Council (GMC) confirms there are a greater number of female doctors, compared to their male counterparts, for the first time in the UK. There are 164,440 women registered with a license to practice, 245 more than men registered to practice, as of 28 February 2025. Additionally, there are also more female GPs than males (57.7% vs 42.3%).

In November 2024, the GMC published The State of Medical Education and Practice: Workforce Report, providing a detailed analysis of the facts and figures related to the UK medical workforce. At that point, there were more male doctors than female, but these new figures from the GMC show this gender balance has changed for the first time in the UK.

Since 2015, the proportion of women with a license to practise has increased each year. This trend has led to women reaching parity with—and surpassing—men in the medical profession in the UK. A major factor driving the increase in female doctors is the medical student intake. Throughout 2023/24, women made up 60% of incoming medical students across the UK. Since 2018/19, female students have outnumbered their male counterparts in all four UK nations.

In Wales, a slight male majority remains amongst working doctors (52.7% vs. 47.3%), with an even slimmer margin in England (50.3% vs. 49.7%). However, both nations are expected to follow Scotland and Northern Ireland in eventually having more female than male doctors.

Unsurprisingly, there are some variations by specialism: Obstetrics and Gynaecology are majority female (63%), as are Paediatrics (61% female). In contrast, Surgery (83% male), Ophthalmology (65%) and Emergency Medicine (63%) are areas where male doctors still make up the majority.

Professor Dame Carrie MacEwen, Chair of the GMC and a consultant ophthalmologist said: ‘This is a significant milestone. The demographics of the medical workforce are rapidly changing, and that diversity will benefit patients. It is vital that every doctor is valued, irrespective of their gender, ethnicity or any other characteristic.

‘But women training for careers in medicine continue to face challenges that must be acknowledged and tackled. And for those women already working as doctors there is still work to do to create supportive and inclusive workplaces, and to ensure they have access to progression opportunities, including leadership roles, so that they can have long and fulfilling careers in medicine.’

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