Socioeconomic diversity of doctors in the United Kingdom: a cross-sectional study of 10 years of Labour Force Survey social mobility data

There are large, persistent and potentially widening inequalities in the socioeconomic background of doctors working in the UK between 2014 and 2023, leading to doctors being highly socioeconomically unrepresentative of the general UK population. New data collections on the socioeconomic background of working doctors are needed to monitor this inequality and understand its effects on patient care. Increased and/or alternative efforts may be needed to address this entrenched inequality and improve social mobility into medicine.