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the collège des médecins du québec reports a total of 26,775 licensed physicians are registered in the province, of which 89 per cent are practising.
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quebec is up 350 doctors over the past year, the collège des médecins du québec reported wednesday, making for about a 1.5 per cent increase in the number of practising physicians.
the data, which compares numbers between march 31 of this year and the same period in 2025, reported 23,288 doctors are active across the province.
in recent months, an attempt by the coalition avenir québec government to impose a controversial pay model on physicians through legislation, circumventing negotiations, had seen some doctors threaten to leave the province or retire early.
but tensions between doctors and the government have since cooled. former health minister christian dubé — who had spearheaded the province’s fight with doctors — is long gone from the negotiating table and both medical federations have voted in favour of new agreements with the province.
a total of 26,775 licensed physicians are registered in the province, of which 89 per cent are practising.
in the montreal region, 7,988 doctors are practising, the collège says, up 145 from this time last year.
the province added 935 new doctors last year — the 350 net gain comes after subtracting those who stopped practising in quebec.
women make up the majority of doctors, representing 56 per cent of the physician workforce. they also form the majority of students: 67 per cent of medical students and 59 per cent of residents are women.
the oldest doctor in the province is 93 years old, according to the report, and the youngest is 25. the average family doctor is 48 and the average specialist is 50.
this article was originally published in the montreal gazette on april 29, 2026.
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