New figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) show a sharp decline in the number of nurses and midwives coming from overseas to work in the UK.
Between April and September 2025, only 6,321 internationally educated nurses and midwives joined the UK register.
This is a drop of 49.6 % compared with the 12,534 who joined in the same period of 2024.
It marks the lowest six-month intake of international professionals in five years.
The biggest reductions came from key source countries:
- India saw a 57.8 % fall in new joiners.
- The Philippines experienced a 68.1 % drop.
- Nigeria recorded a 27.8 % decrease.
- Ghana had a 9 % reduction.
As a result, the Philippines has fallen out of the top three sources of international nurses for the first time in recent years.
Overall, the total number of new joiners to the NMC register fell by 25.7 %.
At the same time, the number of people leaving the register increased by 6.6 % compared with last year.
Despite these changes, the total number of nurses, midwives and nursing associates on the register has reached a record high of 860,801.
The NMC has described the situation as the end of the high-growth period for international recruitment.
Domestic recruitment remains steady, but it is not enough to fill the gap.
The Royal College of Nursing has warned that this slowdown could worsen existing staff shortages across the NHS.
🔗 Join our WhatsApp channel for real-time updates on UK nursing registration trends and workforce news:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb5pewm8aKvTTHLmWn2L
Fellow Nurses Africa is the independent voice of African nursing. We educate, inform and support nurses across Africa.
