Over three quarters of Health and Social Care staff were female as of March 2026

Date published: 01 July 2026

New official statistics published today by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Health (DoH) present information on the profile of Northern Ireland Health and Social Care (HSC) staff as at 31 March 2026.

Key findings

At 31 March 2026:

• Over three quarters of HSC staff were female, with 59,622 female employees making up 78% of the workforce.
• The HSC employed 76,855 staff in post on either a full-time or part-time basis.
• The HSC workforce grew by 22.3% between the 2017 and 2026 censuses.
• The largest employer in the HSC was the Belfast Trust with 21,716 staff. This accounted for 29% of all HSC staff.
• The largest occupational family was nursing and midwifery with 25,521 staff. This accounted for 33% of all HSC staff.
• The medical and dental workforce stood at 6,082 staff. Consultants accounted for 39% of whole-time equivalent staff in this group.

About this publication

This report provides an overview of the profile of HSC staff in Northern Ireland. It includes information by organisation, staff group, occupational family, age, gender and working pattern.

Further information

Read the full report, data tables and background information: Northern Ireland health and social care (HSC) workforce census March 2026 | Department of Health

View the interactive dashboard: Workforce dashboard - headcount - 2026