Total Visits to A General Practitioner

IBISWorld forecasts the total visits to a GP to increase by 0.8% in 2024-25, reaching 13.1 million visits. Both an aggregate growth in New Zealand’s population and an increase in the average age of its constituents will necessitate growth in GP visits over the year. However, upwards pressure on GP fees is likely to offset some of this trend. A survey conducted by The General Practice Owners Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (GenPro) in August 2024 indicated that close to 90.0% of GPs have or are planning to increase their fees, with insufficient government quoted as the main driver of this trend. GenPro estimated that a base funding increase of around 14.0% would be required to stabilise the industry. However, Health NZ committed to a base funding increase of 4.0% in 2024-25. As a result, costs for GP visits are set to grow for New Zealand residents, which will force many to reconsider their need to visit.

Growth in New Zealand’s population, in particular the growing proportion of older New Zealanders as a share of the population, contributes to increases in the number of visits to a GP. Growth in the population is a key driver for GP services, as it results in a greater pool of patients requiring GP services throughout a given year. Additionally, older individuals are more susceptible to chronic illness and disease and are subsequently more likely to visit GPs. However, despite New Zealand’s growing and ageing population, total GP visits have fallen over the past five years.