Physiotherapists: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time physiotherapists in the UK earned a median £43,532 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £4,493 above the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That ranks 106th of 382 occupations on this measure.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £35,953 and £50,694.
Median full-time pay: women £42,279 a year, men £44,000 a year.
About 71% of the roughly 77,000 employee jobs are full-time.
From £35,169 in 2021, the median is up 23.8%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 73,700 people in this line of work, 14% 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 | £30,788 | £595.10 | £16.03 | £22,411* | £483.50 | £16.38 |
| 20th percentile | £33,765 | £643.50 | £16.98 | £29,449 | £574.40 | £18.87 |
| 25th percentile | £35,953 | £689.70 | £18.47 | £30,525 | £600.40 | £19.77 |
| 30th percentile | £36,903 | £715.60 | £19.39 | £32,337 | £619.50 | £20.32 |
| 40th percentile | £39,398 | £765.30 | £20.32 | £35,503 | £698.30 | £22.77 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £43,532 | £835.90 | £22.67 | £37,917 | £757.80 | £24.17 |
| 60th percentile | £47,053 | £902.00 | £24.22 | £41,579 | £809.70 | £25.29 |
| 70th percentile | £49,405 | £953.80 | £25.63 | £46,493 | £897.20 | £27.01 |
| 75th percentile | £50,694 | £981.10 | £27.01 | £48,404 | £931.50 | £27.55 |
| 80th percentile | £52,809 | £1,013.20 | £27.55 | £50,000 | £965.10 | £28.09 |
| Mean | £43,457 | £846.30 | £22.69 | £38,624 | £760.60 | £23.46 |
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 | £35,169 | £721.30 | £18.75 | £32,712 | £628.00 | 62 |
| 2022 revised | £39,338 | £748.00 | £20.01 | £34,706 | £647.90 | 65 |
| 2023 revised | £40,975 | £815.40 | £21.74 | £36,056 | £711.80 | 69 |
| 2024 revised | £42,248 | £801.60 | £21.75 | £38,512 | £715.80 | 72 |
| 2025 provisional | £43,532 | £835.90 | £22.67 | £37,917 | £757.80 | 77 |
Physiotherapists by region
UK: 73,700 (± 10,500), 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 | 10,200* | ± 3,900 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What physiotherapists do
Physiotherapists plan and apply massage, promote and encourage movement and exercise, use hydrotherapy, electro-therapy and other technological equipment in the treatment of a wide range of injuries, diseases and disabilities in order to assist rehabilitation by developing and restoring body systems. (ONS SOC 2020, 2221)
Also covers: electro-therapist, physiotherapist, physiotherapy practitioner, community physiotherapist, paediatric physiotherapist, specialist physiotherapist, superintendent physiotherapist and veterinary physiotherapist.
- Examines medical reports and assesses patient to determine the condition of muscles, nerves or joints in need of treatment
- Writes up patients’ case notes and reports, maintains their records and manages caseload
- Plans and undertakes therapy to improve circulation, restore joint mobility, strengthen muscles and reduce pain
- Explains treatment to and instructs patient in posture and other exercises and adapts treatment as necessary
- Offers advice and education on how to avoid injury and promote patient’s future health and well-being
- Supervises physiotherapy assistants
Entry is most common with GCSEs/S grades and A levels/H grades followed by up to four years training on an approved degree scheme necessary for state registration as a physiotherapist. Some science and other graduates are eligible for accelerated two year pre-registration MSc degree programmes in Physiotherapy or Rehabilitation Science. Relevant apprenticeships are available.
Related
Therapy professionals (median £43,240) · Occupational therapists · Speech and language therapists · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026