Most doctors who joined medical register last year trained outside Ireland

More than two-thirds of doctors who joined the Irish medical register last year trained outside Ireland, the EU or the UK, the regulator has found.The Medical Council on Wednesday published two reports, which looked at doctors joining and leaving the medical register in 2025.The research shows 7,099 doctors joined and remained on the register during 2025, an increase of almost 2,000 on the 2024 number. Of these, 6,445 registered for the first time, and 654 restored their registration after a period away.The majority of new registrants were aged 34 or younger, and 67.4 per cent obtained their primary medical qualification outside Ireland, the EU or the UK.READ MOREOf those, 64 per cent studied in Pakistan, with a further 15.8 per cent having completed their medical degree in Sudan.[ State is now ‘highly dependent’ on doctors trained abroadOpens in new window ]The council said the substantial increase in joiners “may, in part reflect the impact of the processing improvement project undertaken from July to December, which focused on reducing backlogs and improving processing times”.At the same time, 2,501 doctors left the register during 2025. Of these, 1,713 voluntarily withdrew and 788 were removed following noncompletion of annual retention requirements. Most doctors leaving were also aged 34 or younger and held international primary medical qualifications.The most common reason for doctors requesting their withdrawal from the register was “other reasons” (46.3 per cent), followed by “wishing to practise medicine in another country” (44.4 per cent). A minority chose “wishing to stop practising medicine” (9.3 per cent).Of those who wanted to practise in another country, the most popular country was the UK (30.5 per cent), followed by Pakistan (17 per cent) and Australia (12.3 per cent).The report also found that a “prominent” reason why many of the general doctors withdrew from the register was because they were unable to secure employment.“Doctors spoke of not being offered any positions, even after submitting multiple applications, sometimes over long periods of time, stretching from months to more than a year,” it found.“There was a sense of disappointment and frustration after actively seeking a job and sometimes not being called for a single interview.”[ Newly-qualified doctors could have college fees paid in bid to stem numbers moving abroadOpens in new window ]Dr Maria O’Kane, chief executive of the council, said the findings “reinforce the important contribution” that internationally trained doctors make to healthcare in Ireland.“We are also encouraged that many doctors who left the register indicated an intention to return in the future, whether after completing training abroad, gaining additional experience or when personal circumstances change,” she said.“The Medical Council remains committed to supporting those doctors should they choose to return to practise in Ireland.”Dr Bernadette Rock, head of research and regulatory data insights at the council, said the figures suggested Ireland was an “attractive destination” for doctors.“A key finding is that some internationally trained doctors who left the register reported difficulties securing employment despite having successfully obtained registration,” she said.“Others cited the cost of maintaining registration while seeking work, or left Ireland to pursue training, career development opportunities or personal commitments abroad. These are important findings because they point to barriers that can arise after registration has been achieved.”