Hong Kong reports 134,643 registered medical professionals, plans more training places
Hong Kong's government released data on 13 statutory-registered medical professions as of June 2026, with 134,643 practitioners. The government is increasing university-funded training places, supporting a third medical school, and conducting a new manpower projection to balance supply and demand.
Hong Kong's government has released detailed data on the city's medical manpower and employment situation as of 30 June 2026. The 13 statutory-registered medical professions had a total of 134,643 practitioners, according to a legislative question reply published on 11 November 2026. The figures include doctors, dentists, nurses, Chinese medicine practitioners, and allied health professionals, with ratios per 1,000 population provided for each category.
The government said it is increasing publicly-funded first-year bachelor's degree training places in medicine from about 1,930 in the 2019/20 academic year to about 2,270 annually by 2026/27. Medical degree places have risen from 530 per year in 2019/20 to 650 per year from 2025/26. The government is also supporting the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in establishing a third medical school, aiming to admit 50 medical students in 2028.
As of 30 June 2026, non-locally trained medical professionals made up about 2.8 per cent of registered doctors and about 0.8 per cent of registered nurses. The government said these arrangements are supplementary and limited in scale, with public hospitals continuing to prioritise locally trained staff in recruitment.
For the 2025/26 financial year, the Hospital Authority reported vacancies for full-time doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals. Recruitment figures for the past three financial years were also provided. The government noted that employment data for the human health activities sector showed unemployment rates far below the territory-wide average of 2.9 per cent, 3.0 per cent and 3.7 per cent for 2023, 2024 and 2025 respectively.
The government said it conducts systematic manpower projections every three years for all 13 statutory-registered medical professions. A new round of projections began in November 2025, incorporating demographic changes, chronic disease prevalence, cross-border medical usage, and technology applications. The results are expected in 2027 and will be reported to the Legislative Council's health affairs panel.
To address short-term needs, the government has adjusted subsidised training places for certain professions, including reducing places for physiotherapy and occupational therapy from the 2027/28 academic year. It has also amended laws to attract qualified non-locally trained professionals to work in the public sector, while maintaining that local training remains the priority.