A little more than half of Irish trainee doctors say they intend to practice here for 'the foreseeable future'.
The finding is contained in the Medical Council's annual report for 2014, which includes the first survey of all trainee doctors in the country.
Just 54% say they intend to work here in the years ahead - with 21% saying they will leave to practice abroad, and 25% undecided.
Speaking to Newstalk Lunchtime today, Medical Council President Professor Freddie Wood said he is not surprised by the findings.
He explained that there is a need for trainees to experience medical systems abroad for at least a year or two, to bring back essential skills so 'Ireland can keep progressing'. However he added that Ireland needs to focus on how to bring young doctors back from abroad, and there is a need to serve their career ambitions:
19,049 were registered with the Medical Council at the end of last year - the highest number in a decade, including 1,800 new registrations (double the number that exited the register).
Caroline Spillane, CEO of the Medical Councail, said, "while it’s positive for the health system that the number of doctors on the register has increased, the focus needs to be on retaining these doctors and making Ireland a desirable place to work. Our Council will continue to work with educators and the wider health system to look at why so many doctors are planning to leave and how we can curtail this trend.”
The report also shows that the council received 308 complaints about doctors in 2014. The number of reports related to "failures in ‘treating patients with dignity’" are said to have doubled, with 65 instances last year.
