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Chapter 2: State of the general practice workforce

Current workforce characteristics


In 2023 there were 39,449 GPs within Australia’s primary care workforce. Of these, 31,885 were vocationally registered, 1562 were non-vocationally registered, and 6002 were GPs in training. The total number of GPs in Australia has increased every year since 2018, however the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) GPs decreased in 2023 to 29,215.1

Similar to last year, growth in the number of female GPs continues to outpace male GPs. Male GPs account for a higher rate of FTE versus headcount than female GPs and constitute a notably larger proportion of the overall GP workforce, in terms of FTE (Figure 19).1

Figure 19. Male and female GPs as a proportion of the workforce, 2018–23

Male and female GPs as a proportion of the workforce, 2018–23

Measure: GP Headcount and GP FTE by gender
Source: Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care, General practice workforce providing primary care services in Australia, 2018 to 2023 calendar years. Available at https://hwd.health.gov.au/resources/data/gp-primarycare.html

The GP workforce is ageing, with the proportion of GPs aged 55 years and older steadily increasing from 37% in 2018, to 49% in 2023.