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New Registry Data Show More Doctors, Yet 5,000 GP Posts Remain Vacant

Rising part-time work is limiting patient-facing capacity despite higher headcounts.

Overview

  • Germany counted 191,875 contracted physicians and psychotherapists at the end of 2025, up 2,324 year over year, as the average part-time rate climbed to 40 percent, according to KBV data.
  • Hamburg has the highest overall ambulatory density with about 315 practitioners per 100,000 residents, while Brandenburg ranks last with roughly 200 per 100,000, the new Bundesarztregister shows.
  • GP coverage varies sharply: Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern leads with 76.8 family doctors per 100,000 people, followed by Hamburg and Berlin, whereas Westfalen‑Lippe sits at the bottom with about 60–61 and Baden‑Württemberg at 63.7.
  • KBV leaders warn that thousands of GP seats are already unfilled and retirements among baby‑boomer doctors will accelerate, with several regions showing elevated shares of practitioners over 65.
  • Medical bodies are pushing structural fixes such as less bureaucracy, stronger patient navigation and team‑based practices, while a Bertelsmann study suggests roughly 12,000 specially trained practice assistants could offset a projected 8,200‑seat GP gap by 2030.