Workforce
Registration, growth, and distribution of podiatrists across Australia.
5,992
Total AHPRA-registered Podiatrists
Up from 5,435 in 2019.
18.4
Podiatrist FTE per 100,000 Population
Ranges from 16 per 100k in major cities to 6-10 per 100k in outer regional/remote areas.
65%
Working in Private Practice
724 of 1,118 surveyed podiatrists had their primary work setting in private practice.
~6%
Workforce in Outer Regional or Remote Areas
Only 6-10 podiatrists per 100,000 in outer regional/remote vs 16 per 100,000 in major cities.
~25%
Likely to Leave Clinical Practice Within 5 Years
National survey of 1,129 podiatrists identified a significant retention crisis.
Podiatrists by State & Territory
| State/Territory | Headcount | FTE per 100,000 | Avg Weekly Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 1,406 | 16.6 | 36.3 |
| VIC | 1,552 | 21.9 | 35.3 |
| QLD | 862 | 17.0 | 38.1 |
| WA | 445 | 15.2 | 34.1 |
| SA | 456 | 24.7 | 36.1 |
| TAS | 111 | - | - |
| ACT | 68 | - | - |
| NT | 19 | - | - |
| Australia | 4,925 | 18.4 | 36.1 |
Medicare & Services
Medicare billing data and service delivery trends for podiatry.
$189M
Annual Medicare Benefits Paid for Podiatry
Highest of all Medicare-subsidised allied health professions.
3,520,654
Total Medicare-funded Podiatry Services
Over 1.1 million unique patients received Medicare-subsidised podiatry services.
~$53.69
Average Medicare Benefit per Podiatry Service
Derived from $189M total benefits / 3,520,654 services.
1.1M+
Patients Receiving Medicare-subsidised Podiatry per Year
Accessed via CDM plans with GP referral. Up to 5 allied health sessions per year.
Demographics
Age, gender, and workforce composition data for podiatrists.
69%
Female Podiatrists
NHWDS 2017 data reported 59.9% female, suggesting increasing feminisation.
39 years
Mean Age of Podiatrists
SD = 11 years. NHWDS 2017 reported an average age of 38.1.
4.2%
Overseas-trained Podiatrists
Very low international recruitment compared to other health professions.
35%
Self-employed / Sole Traders
37% are employees, 15% are employers.
Sources
Verified directly from source| Awaiting verification