Pharmacists: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time pharmacists in the UK earned a median £53,772 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 38% more than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
That ranks 41st of 382 occupations on this measure.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £44,891 and £62,344.
Median full-time pay: women £50,500 a year, men £57,918 a year.
About 70% of the roughly 69,000 employee jobs are full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 20.6%, from £44,586, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 80,400 people in this line of work, 20% of them in North West.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £33,312 | £594.60 | £15.56 | £23,171* | £476.10 | £15.58 |
| 20th percentile | £42,409 | £778.90 | £19.98 | £29,977 | £582.10 | £20.83 |
| 25th percentile | £44,891 | £833.30 | £21.48 | £32,284 | £633.20 | £22.36 |
| 30th percentile | £47,465 | £899.90 | £23.62 | £35,060 | £692.10 | £24.35 |
| 40th percentile | £51,081 | £965.90 | £25.07 | £41,277 | £790.90 | £25.89 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £53,772 | £1,013.30 | £26.73 | £47,508 | £912.40 | £27.01 |
| 60th percentile | £56,545 | £1,067.40 | £28.60 | £51,905 | £981.80 | £28.69 |
| 70th percentile | £60,373 | £1,155.00 | £30.42 | £55,886 | £1,048.40 | £30.64 |
| 75th percentile | £62,344 | £1,189.80 | £30.94 | £57,338 | £1,097.10 | £30.95 |
| 80th percentile | £64,701 | £1,242.10 | £31.45 | £60,556 | £1,157.60 | £32.06 |
| Mean | £53,942 | £1,021.00 | £26.53 | £46,146 | £885.80 | £26.75 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £44,586 | £818.90 | £21.45 | £38,044 | £716.80 | 67 |
| 2022 revised | £44,455 | £875.20 | £23.30 | £38,411 | £774.50 | 68 |
| 2023 revised | £45,286 | £930.00 | £24.40 | £39,485 | £818.80 | 60 |
| 2024 revised | £50,916 | £956.90 | £25.38 | £42,634 | £834.10 | 64 |
| 2025 provisional | £53,772 | £1,013.30 | £26.73 | £47,508 | £912.40 | 69 |
Pharmacists by region
UK: 80,400 (± 11,000), April 2025 to March 2026. 11 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| North West | 16,400* | ± 4,900 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What pharmacists do
Pharmacists dispense drugs and medicaments in hospitals and pharmacies and advise on and participate in the development and testing of new drugs, compounds and therapies. They counsel on the proper use and adverse effects of drugs and medicines. (ONS SOC 2020, 2251)
Also covers: chemist (pharmaceutical), dispensary manager, pharmaceutical chemist, pharmacist, pharmacy manager, chemist (nos), clinical pharmacist, consultant pharmacist, homeopathic chemist, homoeopathic chemist, PCN pharmacist, pharmaceutical officer, pharmacist manager, pharmacist's manager, pharmacovigilance associate, prescribing adviser, chemist and druggist and drug safety associate (25 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Prepares or directs the preparation of prescribed medicaments in liquid, powder, tablet, ointment or other form following prescriptions issued by medical doctors and other health professionals
- Advises health professionals on the selection and appropriate use of medicines
- Highlights a drug’s potential side effects, identifies harmful interactions with other drugs and assesses the suitability of treatments for patients with particular health conditions
- Checks that recommended doses are not being exceeded and that instructions are understood by patients
- Maintains prescription files and records issue of narcotics, poisons and other habit-forming drugs
- Liaises with other professionals regarding the development, manufacturing and testing of drugs
Entrants possess a degree in pharmacy. To register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), entrants must have completed a one year period of pre-registration training and passed a registration exam. Further training is available to permit pharmacists to prescribe medicines independently.
Related
Other health professionals (median £47,939) · Optometrists · Dental practitioners · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026