UK Salary Statistics 2026

UK salary statistics are collected and published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) through the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which surveys around 180,000 employee jobs each April. The figures below draw on ASHE 2025, ONS Average Weekly Earnings (AWE), HMRC Personal Incomes Statistics, and Low Pay Commission reports. Updated June 2026.

Headline figures for 2026

The most authoritative reference point for UK pay is the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, measured each April. The April 2025 survey (the latest full-year ASHE release as of June 2026) recorded median full-time weekly pay at £766.60, with the median gross annual figure for employees in post at least 12 months at £39,039 (ONS ASHE, 2025). The AWE series showed total average weekly earnings of £745 in December 2025 to February 2026, with nominal annual growth of 3.8% (ONS AWE, April 2026 release).

Earnings growth

Nominal earnings growth has slowed from the elevated rates seen in 2023. The ONS AWE series recorded regular pay growing at 3.6% in December 2025 to February 2026, with public sector growth at 5.2% and private sector at 3.2% (ONS AWE, April 2026 release). In the year to April 2025, the ASHE survey found nominal full-time weekly pay grew 5.3%, with real terms growth of 1.1% against CPIH (ONS ASHE, 2025).

Income distribution

HMRC Personal Incomes Statistics provide the most detailed picture of the full income distribution across taxpayers. In tax year 2023-24, median income before tax was £29,700, up from £28,400 in 2022-23 (HMRC Personal Incomes Statistics, 2023-24). There were 36.7 million taxpayers in 2023-24 (HMRC Personal Incomes Statistics, 2023-24). The top 10% of taxpayers accounted for 60.3% of total Income Tax paid in 2022-23 (HMRC Income Tax Liabilities Statistics, 2022-23).

Minimum and living wage

The National Living Wage (NLW) for workers aged 21 and over rose to £12.71 per hour from 1 April 2026, a 4.1% increase on the £12.21 rate from April 2025 (gov.uk, 2026). The 18-20 age band rate increased to £10.85 per hour, and the under-18 and apprentice rate rose to £8.00 per hour (gov.uk, 2026). Around 1.698 million jobs, equivalent to 5.9% of all employee jobs, are projected to be covered by the NLW in April 2026 (LPC, 2026).

Pay by sector, occupation, and gender

Public sector full-time median weekly pay reached £807.67 in April 2025, versus £752.28 in the private sector (ONS ASHE, 2025). The gender pay gap for full-time employees narrowed to 6.9% in April 2025 (measured as the difference in median hourly pay excluding overtime), compared with 7.1% in April 2024; for all employees including part-time workers the gap was 12.8% (ONS Gender Pay Gap, 2025). The widest occupational gaps were in skilled trades (13.9%) and associate professional and technical roles (12.5%) (ONS Gender Pay Gap, 2025).

Trends over time

The table below shows median gross weekly earnings for UK full-time employees for selected April reference periods, drawn from successive ONS ASHE bulletins. Figures for 2020 and 2021 should be treated with caution due to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and reduced sample sizes. A change in Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 2020) applied from 2021 revised estimates onwards.

Regional breakdown

London commands the highest median pay across the UK, while North East England records the lowest. The figures below are median gross annual pay for all employees in April 2025, drawn from ASHE regional data. Northern Ireland recorded the highest full-time median weekly pay growth in 2025 at 7.4%, while the South East saw the smallest increase at 2.9% (ONS ASHE, 2025).

Frequently asked questions

What is the average UK salary in 2025?

The most widely cited figure is the median, which better represents typical pay than the mean. Median gross annual pay for full-time employees in post for at least a year was £39,039 in April 2025 (ONS ASHE, 2025). The HMRC median taxpayer income across all employment types was £29,700 in 2023-24 (HMRC Personal Incomes Statistics, 2023-24).

What is the National Living Wage from April 2026?

The National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 per hour from 1 April 2026, an increase of 4.1% on the £12.21 rate from April 2025 (gov.uk, 2026). The 18-20 rate is £10.85 per hour and the under-18 and apprentice rate is £8.00 per hour (gov.uk, 2026).

What is the gender pay gap in the UK?

The gender pay gap among full-time employees was 6.9% in April 2025, measured as the difference in median hourly pay excluding overtime (ONS Gender Pay Gap, 2025). Among all employees including part-time workers, the gap was 12.8% (ONS Gender Pay Gap, 2025).

How many people pay Income Tax in the UK?

HMRC projects 39.1 million individuals will be liable for Income Tax in 2025-26, up from 34.5 million in 2022-23 (HMRC Income Tax Liabilities Statistics, 2025-26). The rise is driven by the Personal Allowance remaining frozen at £12,570 since 2021-22 while incomes have risen, bringing more individuals above the tax threshold (HMRC Income Tax Liabilities Statistics, 2025-26). A projected 7.08 million are higher rate taxpayers and 1.23 million are additional rate taxpayers in 2025-26 (HMRC Income Tax Liabilities Statistics, 2025-26).

What is the difference between public and private sector pay?

Public sector full-time employees had median weekly pay of £807.67 in April 2025, compared with £752.28 in the private sector (ONS ASHE, 2025). In the AWE series for December 2025 to February 2026, public sector regular pay grew at 5.2% against 3.2% for the private sector (ONS AWE, April 2026 release).

How does UK pay vary by region?

London has the highest median annual pay for all employees at £39,778 in April 2025, while North East England is the lowest at £29,584 (ONS ASHE, 2025). Northern Ireland saw the largest increase in full-time median weekly pay in 2025 at 7.4%, while the South East recorded the smallest at 2.9% (ONS ASHE, 2025).