IMG Match Rates by Country and Specialty: How to Read Your Real Odds
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026
In the 2026 Main Residency Match, IMGs filled 9,682 first-year positions, 23.6% of everyone who matched. US IMGs matched at a 70.0% rate and non-US IMGs at 56.4%, both among the strongest results in at least five years.
🎓 44,344 positions were offered and 53,373 applicants registered, both records for the Match.
💵 Internal medicine, pathology, pediatrics, and neurology filled the largest share of positions with IMGs.
🛂 NRMP does not publish public match rates by country of medical school, so treat country-based claims on forums carefully.
⏱️ Your Step 2 CK score, research record, and US clinical experience predict your odds far better than your passport.
The 2026 Match by the numbers
The 2026 Main Residency Match offered 44,344 first-year and other positions, a record, against 53,373 registered applicants, also a record.
International medical graduates matched to 9,682 of those positions, 23.6% of everyone who matched that year.
The two IMG groups performed differently. US citizen IMGs matched at a 70.0% rate, 2,949 applicants, the highest recorded for this group in at least five years. Non-US citizen IMGs matched at 56.4%, 6,733 applicants, a slightly lower rate than 2025 but a record high in raw numbers.
2026 Match snapshot
| Measure | 2026 figure |
|---|---|
| Total positions offered | 44,344 |
| Registered applicants | 53,373 |
| IMG positions matched | 9,682 (23.6% of all matches) |
| US IMG match rate | 70.0% |
| Non-US IMG match rate | 56.4% |
Which specialties actually take IMGs
IMGs filled a large share of positions in specific fields in 2026. Categorical internal medicine filled 42% of its positions with IMGs, pathology filled 34.7%, categorical pediatrics filled 30.4%, and neurology filled 22.4%, according to ECFMG's summary of the Match .
Surgical subspecialties, dermatology, and other fields with the most US senior applicants fill a much smaller share of positions with IMGs each cycle, since domestic MD and DO seniors rank those programs first and fill most seats before IMG applications are considered.
Why country-level data is hard to find
Forums and group chats trade specific claims about match rates by country of medical school, but NRMP does not publish that breakdown publicly. Starting with the 2026 cycle, NRMP's Charting Outcomes reports split IMG data into US citizen and non-US citizen categories, not by country or region of medical school.
Treat any specific country-based percentage you see online as unverified unless it links back to an official NRMP or ECFMG report.
Your medical school's country matters less to a program director than your exam scores, your clinical experience, and how well you interview.
What actually predicts your odds
Your USMLE Step 2 CK score, since most programs use it as a first screen.
How many programs you rank, since applicants who rank more contiguous programs match more often.
Research output and publications in your specialty.
Any documented US clinical or research experience.
How competitive your target specialty is that year.
Where to check the official numbers yourself
NRMP posts its full Results and Data report and the Charting Outcomes series for IMGs on its match data page , updated after each Match Day. ECFMG also publishes a certified-IMG summary each spring with the numbers above.
Read the report for your exact applicant category, US citizen IMG or non-US citizen IMG, since the two groups match at different rates and the gap has held for years. Update your program list every cycle rather than relying on numbers from a previous year, since results shift with applicant volume and the number of new positions offered.
How to use this data
Pull the free Charting Outcomes report for your specialty and citizenship status before you build your program list. Compare your Step 2 CK score and experience against the applicants who matched in that report, then build a list that spans a real range of program competitiveness, not only your top choices.
If matching matters more to you than a specific specialty, applying broadly within a field that already takes a large share of IMGs, such as internal medicine or pathology, raises your odds directly.