GP shortage to hit 4600 within the decade, govt predicts
Supply by both FTE and by headcount is already lower than demand in meeting patients’ health needs, report shows.
Australia will be around 4600 GPs short of meeting patients’ health needs by 2033, even assuming that 90% of GP training places are filled, the government’s workforce analysis suggests.
The GP Supply and Demand Study suggests that GP supply, both FTE and by headcount, is already lower than demand, based on the government’s estimate of Australia’s healthcare needs.
On headcount, the data suggest Australia is 881 GPs short in 2024 and this shortfall will rise to 2633 by 2028 and then 4557 by 2033.
It also looks at what the government calls “unmet demand” — the actual utilisation of GP care from patients, rather than the government’s estimate of healthcare needs.
