Registration data reports - The Nursing and Midwifery Council

What we publish

Our register tells us how many nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom (UK) and nursing associates in England are currently able to practise. We publish data from our register every six months.

Our annual reports cover the 12 month period from April to March every year, but we also publish a mid-year report covering the six month period from April to September.

As well as the size of the register, our reports show the number of joiners and leavers, a breakdown of the register by age and field of practice, and much more.

The big picture

There are more nurses, midwives and nursing associates on the NMC register than ever: 826,418. That’s an increase of 37,723 (4.8 percent) compared to the same period last year, and 128,184 (18.4 percent) over the last five years.

This includes 765,051 nurses (+4.6 percent since 2023); 44,125 midwives (+5.8 percent); and 10,881 nursing associates (+16.6 percent). There are also 6,361 dual registrants who are both a nurse and midwife (-2.5 percent).

This growth is due, in large part, to the continuous rise in first-time joiners to the register – 59,991 in the last 12 months alone. That’s nearly 15 percent higher than the same period last year (52,193), and almost double the number of joiners compared to 2018-2019 (30,618). The number of UK and internationally educated joiners within the last year was almost equally split – 30,363 and 29,628, respectively.

Please see more detail in the reports below.

Latest report

March 2024 Annual data report

Full UK report

England

England data report, March 2024

England permanent register data tables

Scotland

Scotland data report, March 2024

Scotland permanent register data tables

Wales

Wales data report, March 2024

Adroddiad data Cymru, Mawrth 2024

Wales permanent register data tables

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland data report, March 2024

Northern Ireland Permanent register data tables

How to interpret our data

Our permanent register tells us how many nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom (UK) and nursing associates in England are currently able to practise. Not everyone on our register will currently be working.
The nursing associate role was introduced in 2019 in England only. It bridges the gap between registered nurses, and health and care assistants. Some nursing associates have registered addresses in Scotland and Wales.
People who joined our register in 2021–2022 joined through different processes, depending on whether they were from the UK, the EU/EEA or the Rest of the World (outside the UK and the EU/EEA). Now that the UK has left the EU/EEA, everyone starting an application to join our register from outside the UK follows the same international process.
Where we say ‘country of training’ we mean that the data refers to where people trained rather than where they first held professional registration as a nurse, midwife or nursing associate.
The number of joiners, leavers and total people registered won’t add up exactly. That’s because the joiner's data only includes people joining the register for the first time. It doesn’t include people who re-joined after a break from practising.
For the number of joiners and leavers, our data tables show the cumulative figures for both six-month periods and 12-month periods. The number of joiners over 12 months is the same as adding both six monthly totals together in a financial year, as these are first time joiners only. The number of leavers over 12 months will be less than adding two six monthly totals together. This is due to some professionals leaving in the first period, but rejoining the register in the next period, thereby reducing the number of net leavers in a financial year.
Our permanent register changes every day and can vary considerably from the start of the month to the end of the month. Therefore, our data only offers a snapshot in time. This report gives a snapshot of our register on 31 March 2024.
We continually review the quality and content of our data and information. When improved data or additional information becomes available, we retrospectively update our previously published information. This means that when comparing data in our latest reports against some of our previous publications, you may see small differences in some data. For the most accurate data about the previous five years, always refer to the latest published report.
The NMC is not responsible for recruitment. The Department of Health and Social Care, and the Scottish Government codes of practice for international recruitment of health and social care personnel, prohibit active recruitment from ‘red list’ countries designated by the World Health Organisation. The codes do not prevent individual health workers from ‘red list’ countries seeking employment independently, but employers should not be actively recruiting from those countries.
Where we use the terms ‘recruitment and retention’ we are referring to people joining our register for the first time or leaving it.
Adding the number of internationally educated registrants from the four countries together will not equal the total UK figures. This is because our four nation data reports are based on the number of people with a registered UK address. The true figure of internationally educated joiners in our four nation reports will be higher because professionals aren’t required to give us a UK address in order to join the register. We’re encouraging professionals to help us further enhance the value of our data by giving us their UK address as soon as they have one. International professionals can share their registered UK address through NMC Online.
Our latest reports do not include data about the temporary register. In March 2020 we established a Covid-19 temporary register to support the UK’s response to the coronavirus pandemic which closed in March 2024. Data from the temporary register is no longer reported.

July 2024

Sut i ddehongli ein data

Mae ein cofrestr barhaol yn dweud wrthym faint o nyrsys a bydwragedd yn y Deyrnas Unedig (DU) a chymdeithion nyrsio yn Lloegr sy’n gallu ymarfer ar hyn o bryd. Ni fydd pawb ar ein rhestr yn gweithio ar hyn o bryd.
Cyflwynwyd y rôl o gydymaith nyrsio yn 2019 yn Lloegr yn unig. Mae’n pontio’r bwlch rhwng nyrsys cofrestredig, a chynorthwywyr iechyd a gofal. Mae gan rai cymdeithion nyrsio cyfeiriadau wedi eu cofrestru yn yr Alban a Chymru.
Bu i bobl a ymunodd â’n cofrestr yn 2021-2022 ymuno drwy wahanol brosesau, yn ddibynnol a oeddynt o’r DU, yr UE/AEE neu Weddill y Byd (tu allan i’r DU a’r UE/AEE). Gan fod y DU bellach wedi gadael yr UE/AEE, mae pawb sy’n dechrau cais i ymuno â’n cofrestr o’r tu allan i’r DU yn dilyn yr un broses ryngwladol.
Pan rydym yn sôn am ‘gwlad hyfforddiant’ rydym yn golygu bod y data’n cyfeirio at le hyfforddodd pobl yn hytrach na lle bu iddynt gael eu cofrestriad proffesiynol cyntaf fel nyrs, bydwraig neu gydymaith nyrsio.
Ni fydd y nifer o ymunwyr, gadawyr a chyfanswm y bobl wedi’u cofrestru yn adio i fyny’n union. Mae hyn oherwydd bod data’r ymunwyr yn cynnwys pobl sy’n ymuno â’r rhestr am y tro cyntaf. Nid yw’n cynnwys pobl sydd wedi ail-ymuno ar ôl seibiant o ymarfer.
Ar gyfer y nifer o ymunwyr a gadawyr, mae ein tablau data’n dangos y ffigyrau cronnus am y cyfnodau o chwe mis a chyfnodau o 12 mis. Mae’r nifer o ymunwyr dros 12 mis yr un fath ac adio’r ddau gyfanswm chwe mis at ei gilydd mewn blwyddyn ariannol, gan fod y rhain yn ymunwyr am y tro cyntaf yn unig. Bydd y nifer o adawyr dros 12 mis yn llai nac adio dau gyfanswm chwech misol at ei gilydd. Mae hyn oherwydd i rai weithwyr proffesiynol adael yn y cyfnod cyntaf, ond yn ail-ymuno y gofrestr yn y cyfnod nesaf, a thrwy hynny leihau’r nifer o adawyr net mewn blwyddyn ariannol.
Mae ein cofrestr barhaol yn newid bob dydd a gall amrywio’n sylweddol o ddechrau’r mis i ddiwedd y mis. Gan hynny, dim ond ciplun mewn amser mae ein data yn ei gynnig. Mae’r adroddiad hwn yn rhoi ciplun o’n cofrestr ar 31 Mawrth 2024.
Rydym ni’n adolygu ansawdd a chynnwys ein data a’n gwybodaeth yn barhaus. Pan ddaw data neu wybodaeth well neu ychwanegol ar gael, rydym ni’n diweddaru ein gwybodaeth a gyhoeddwyd yn gynharach yn adolygu. Mae hyn yn golygu pan fyddwch yn cymharu data yn ein hadroddiadau diweddaraf yn erbyn rhai o’n cyhoeddiadau blaenorol, efallai byddwch yn gweld mân wahaniaethau mewn rhai data. Am y data mwyaf cywir am y bum mlynedd ddiwethaf, cyfeiriwch at yr adroddiad a gyhoeddwyd diweddaraf bob tro.
Nid yw’r NMC yn gyfrifol am recriwtio. Mae codau ymarfer Yr Adran Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol, a Llywodraeth yr Alban ar gyfer recriwtio personél rhyngwladol iechyd a gofal iechyd, yn gwahardd recriwtio gweithredol o wledydd ‘rhestr goch’ a ddynodwyd gan Sefydliad Iechyd y Byd. Nid yw’r codau’n gwahardd gweithwyr iechyd unigol o wledydd ‘rhestr goch’ rhag ceisio gwaith yn annibynnol, ond ni ddylai cyflogwyr recriwtio’n weithredol o’r gwledydd hynny.
Lle rydym yn defnyddio’r termau ‘recriwtio a chadw’ rydym yn cyfeirio at bobl sy’n ymuno â’n cofrestr am y tro cyntaf neu yn ei gadael.
Ni fydd adio’r nifer o’r pedair gwlad o’r rhai ar y gofrestr sydd wedi eu haddysgu dramor gyda’i gilydd yn cyfateb i gyfanswm y ffigyrau ar gyfer y DU. Mae hyn oherwydd bod ein hadroddiadau data am y pedair gwlad yn seiliedig ar y nifer o bobl sydd â chyfeiriad wedi ei gofrestru yn y DU. Bydd y gwir rif o rai sydd wedi eu haddysgu tramor ac sy’n ymuno yn ein hadroddiadau o’r pedair gwlad yn uwch gan nad oes angen i bobl broffesiynol rhoi cyfeiriad yn y DU i ni er mwyn ymuno â’r gofrestr. Rydym yn annog pobl broffesiynol i’n helpu ni wella gwerth ein data ymhellach trwy roi eu cyfeiriad yn y DU i ni cyn gynted ag y maent yn cael un. Gall pobl broffesiynol o dramor rannu eu cyfeiriad cofrestredig yn y DU drwy NMC Online.
Nid yw ein hadroddiadau diweddaraf yn cynnwys data am y gofrestr dros dro. Ym mis Mawrth 2020, bu i ni sefydlu cofrestr dros dro Covid-19 er mwyn cefnogi ymateb y DU i’r pandemig coronafirws a gaeodd ym mis Mawrth 2024. Nid yw data o’r gofrestr yn cael ei adrodd mwyach.