Minimum wage for 21 to 22 year olds: every value since 2016
The hourly minimum wage band below the National Living Wage that existed from April 2016 to March 2024: for 21 to 24 year olds until March 2021, then 21 to 22 year olds. From April 2024 workers aged 21 and over get the National Living Wage.
Low Pay Commission gives 9 values for this rate, from £6.70 on 1 April 2016 to £10.18 on 1 April 2023. Each row is a date on which the rate was set; between the first and the latest it went up eight times. The largest rise from one value to the next was +10.9%, on 1 April 2023 (from £9.18 to £10.18). Across the whole series the cash value changed by +51.9%. The value on 1 April 2023 was +10.9% on the one before; ONS CPI inflation for calendar year 2023 was 7.3%.
21 to 24 (2016 to 2021), then 21 to 22
| From | 21 to 24 (2016 to 2021), then 21 to 22 (an hour) | Change on previous value | CPI inflation that calendar year (ONS, D7G7) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April 2023 | £10.18 21-22 rate | +10.9% | 7.3% |
| 1 April 2022 | £9.18 21-22 rate | +9.8% | 9.1% |
| 1 April 2021 | £8.36 21-22 rate | +2.0% | 2.6% |
| 1 April 2020 | £8.20 21-24 rate | +6.5% | 0.9% |
| 1 April 2019 | £7.70 21-24 rate | +4.3% | 1.8% |
| 1 April 2018 | £7.38 21-24 rate | +4.7% | 2.5% |
| 1 April 2017 | £7.05 21-24 rate | +1.4% | 2.7% |
| 1 October 2016 | £6.95 21-24 rate | +3.7% | 0.7% |
| 1 April 2016 | £6.70 21-24 rate | 0.7% |
Source: Low Pay Commission.
CPI: ONS series D7G7, for the calendar year the period starts in. About these tables · CSV
Related pages
Sources and receipts
- Data tables for the Low Pay Commission 2025 Report (Historic rates of the NMW/NLW), Low Pay Commission.
File: 2025_Main_Report_Data.xlsx. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256
bd0c10dc42bc04d5af09792731464b9549f971a3ff36f9c2ddf0ee69281f08ee - Consumer price inflation time series (MM23), Office for National Statistics.
File: mm23.csv. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256
1b78749ea634755b83064d88f4fc6f7dd177e0c41d8b573c9d8172b8d3fff641