Workforce survey shows more doctors, increasing diversity, and changing workforce patterns

The Medical Council of New Zealand |Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa today released the results of its 2025 Workforce Survey, showing continued growth, more diversity, and important shifts in the medical workforce.

Council Chair Dr Rachelle Love said the findings highlight both progress and challenges.

“We welcome the growth and diversity reflected in this year’s survey. More doctors are practising in Aotearoa, more women are entering the profession, and younger cohorts show encouraging increases in Māori and Pacific representation. At the same time, the data reminds us of the continuing reliance on international medical graduates, and the need for a workforce that better reflects the communities we serve and our obligations to consider global health needs when recruiting IMGs”. 

“Every doctor who completes the survey helps us understand where we are making gains, and where effort is still needed — whether in retention, equitable opportunities, or supporting sustainable training pathways.”

Key findings

·       Workforce growth - Practising doctors increased by 2.6% in 2025, reaching 20,530 — nearly 3,000 more than in 2020.

·       Gender shift - Women now make up 49.6% of the workforce, projected to outnumber men by mid-2026.

·       Ethnic diversity - Māori doctors account for 5.5% of the workforce, Pacific Peoples 2.7%. Almost half of Māori (49.5%) and Pacific (46.4%) doctors are under 35.

·       International medical graduates (IMGs) - IMGs make up 42.1% of practising doctors.

·       Retention - 99% of NZ graduates are retained after one year and 88% after three years; IMG retention is lower, with only 40% remaining after two years.

·       Regional distribution - 76.9% of doctors are based in the North Island; Auckland, Canterbury, and Capital & Coast/Hutt Valley have the largest concentrations.

·       Vocational trends - Vocational registration has grown 15% since 2020, with emergency medicine (+37%) and diagnostic radiology (+40%) showing the biggest gains.

About the survey

The Workforce Survey is conducted annually as part of practising certificate renewal. In 2025, 97.9% of doctors responded, providing one of the most comprehensive national workforce snapshots available.  The annual workforce report supplements the data dashboard that is updated quarterly.

The full Workforce Survey Report 2025 can be found on the Council’s website [ here ]

View the data dashboard [ here ].