Medical Council publishes new insights on doctors joining and leaving the Register in Ireland
Wednesday, 4th November 2026: The Medical Council has today published two supplementary workforce reports examining doctors who joined and left the Medical Council Register in 2025. The reports provide new insight into registration trends, workforce mobility and the experiences of doctors entering and exiting the Irish medical workforce.
The research shows that 7,099 doctors joined and remained on the Register during 2025, representing a significant increase on 2024 of almost 2,000. Of these, 6,445 doctors registered for the first time, and 654 restored their registration after a period away from the Register.
The majority of new registrants were aged 34 or younger, and more than two-thirds obtained their primary medical qualification outside Ireland, the EU or the UK.
At the same time, 2,501 doctors left the Register during 2025. Of these, 1,713 voluntarily withdrew and 788 were removed following non-completion of annual retention requirements. The majority of doctors leaving were also aged 34 or younger and held international primary medical qualifications.
The reports show that many doctors who voluntarily withdrew from the Register cited plans to practise medicine abroad, personal or family reasons, retirement, or difficulties securing employment in Ireland. Among doctors who indicated they were leaving to practise in another country, the United Kingdom was the most commonly reported destination, followed by Pakistan and Australia.
Of those removed from the Register, just over half (51%) were aged 34 and younger, with the majority registered on the General Division. Just under two-thirds (58.1%) had joined for the first time in the previous three years, since 2022.
The Doctors Joining the Register in 2025 report notes that 90.8% of all doctors who joined and remained on the Register during the year were first-time registrants. This increase in registrations may partly reflect a processing improvement project undertaken by the Medical Council during 2025 to reduce application backlogs and improve processing times.
The Doctors Leaving the Register in 2025 report highlights that many doctors who voluntarily withdrew expressed a desire to return to Ireland in the future, particularly among those who cited working or training abroad as the reason for leaving. The report also identified challenges including difficulty securing employment, financial considerations related to registration fees, and personal or family circumstances.
Dr Maria O’Kane, CEO, Medical Council, said, “Our reports provide useful insight into the reasons doctors choose to join, leave and return to the Register. The findings reinforce the important contribution that internationally trained doctors make to healthcare in Ireland, while also highlighting some of the challenges that can arise between obtaining registration and securing employment.
“Work is continuing across the health system to strengthen medical workforce planning, training and retention, including initiatives led by stakeholders such as the National Doctors Training and Planning unit. These reports help to add an important evidence base to that work by providing direct insights into doctors' experiences and the factors influencing their career decisions. “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. 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, Medical Council, said, “Looking at data of doctors joining and leaving the Register together provides a more complete picture of the workforce than either dataset could provide in isolation. “A key finding is that some internationally trained doctors who left the Register reported difficulties securing employment despite having successfully obtained registration. 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. “At the same time, the data show a substantial number of doctors continuing to join the Register, including those restoring their registration after going abroad, suggesting that Ireland remains an attractive destination for doctors at different stages of their careers.
“We thank the doctors who have joined and left the Register for their engagement and contributions in answering workforce questions.”
The two reports form part of the Medical Council’s ongoing programme of workforce intelligence and regulatory data analysis. For more information, and to view the reports, visit the Medical Council’s website.