39% Rise In MBBS Seats Since 2020, 2,849 Remained Vacant In 2024: Govt Data
Despite a 39% increase in MBBS seats since 2020, 2,849 undergraduate medical seats remained vacant in 2024, government data presented in the Lok Sabha has revealed.
Even as India has seen a significant 39 percent rise in MBBS seats over the past four years, a substantial number of undergraduate medical seats continue to remain vacant, according to data shared by the National Medical Commission (NMC). The information was presented in the Lok Sabha on August 1 by Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, in response to an unstarred question raised by Telugu Desam Party MP Putta Mahesh Kumar.
Academic Year Vacant UG Seats
2021–22 2,012
2022–23 4,146
2023–24 2,959
2024–25 2,849
The data reveals that MBBS seats increased from 83,275 in the academic year 2020–21 to 1,15,900 in 2024–25. Despite this expansion, 4,146 undergraduate seats (excluding AIIMS and JIPMER) went unfilled in 2022–23 — the highest in recent years. While the number of vacant seats dropped to 2,849 in 2024–25, the gap continues to be a concern.
The government attributed the sharp rise in seats to the establishment of new medical colleges and enhancements in infrastructure and faculty availability. To maintain academic and training standards, the NMC has implemented the Minimum Standard Requirement Regulations, 2023. These regulations lay down essential benchmarks for infrastructure, clinical material, faculty strength, and other requirements for setting up and operating medical colleges.
Government figures also indicated that states like Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat lead in the number of MBBS seats in both 2020–21 and 2024–25, contributing significantly to the national tally.
Below is the data on MBBS seat expansion across Indian states and Union Territories:
In the Lok Sabha, the government outlined several initiatives aimed at expanding medical education and increasing the number of MBBS and postgraduate seats across the country.
As per official data, under the centrally sponsored scheme for establishing new medical colleges, district and referral hospitals—especially in underserved and aspirational districts—are being upgraded. Out of the 157 medical colleges approved under this scheme, 131 are already operational.
Additionally, a separate centrally sponsored scheme is in progress to strengthen the infrastructure of existing state and central government medical colleges. This initiative is focused on expanding the intake capacity for both MBBS and PG courses.
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Further, under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), the government is upgrading medical colleges by constructing Super Speciality Blocks. Of the 75 projects approved under this initiative, 71 have been completed.
In parallel, efforts to expand the AIIMS network continue under a central sector scheme. A total of 22 new AIIMS have been approved so far, with undergraduate courses already underway in 19 of them.
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August 01, 2025, 15:49 IST
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