In 2025, men in the United Kingdom had a higher average hourly full-time salary than women across most age groups, except for 16 to 17 where women had slightly higher earnings, and among those aged between 18 and 21, earnings were almost the same.

In 2024 men aged between 50 and 59 were the highest full-time earners in the United Kingdom among different gender and age groups, with men of different ages consistently earning more than women.

The median hourly earnings for full-time employees in the United Kingdom was 19.74 British pounds in 2025, compared with 18.72 pounds in the previous year. At the start of this provided time period, in 1997, the average hourly wage in the UK was 7.92 pounds per hour, rising to more than ten pounds per hour by 2003, and above 15 pounds per hour by 2020. Minimum and living wage in the UK In the United Kingdom, employers are expected to pay their employees a minimum wage that is determined by how old they are. Under 18s for example, had a minimum wage of 5.28 British pounds in 2023, with the figure increasing to 7.49 pounds those aged 18 to 20, 10.18 for 21 to 22 year old's, and 10.42 for those aged 23 and over. There is also a voluntarily paid living Wage that employers can choose to pay their workers. For the 2023/24 financial year this was twelve pounds an hour, rising to 13.15 pounds an hour for workers based in London. Icelandic the highest earners in Europe Iceland had the highest average annual wage in the Europe in 2022 at around 79,500 U.S dollars. This was followed by Luxembourg at 78,300 dollars, Switzerland at 72,990 and Belgium at 64,850 dollars. The United Kingdom’s average annual wage amounted to around 53,985 U.S dollars in the same year. In this year, the country with the lowest annual salary in Europe was Greece, at 25,980 pounds per year.

The median annual earnings for full-time employees in the United Kingdom was just over 39,000 British pounds in 2025, compared with 37,400 pounds in the previous year. At the start of the provided time period, in 1999, the average full-time salary in the UK was 17,800 pounds per year, with median earnings exceeding 20,000 pounds per year in 2002, and 30,000 by 2019. Wages continue to grow faster than inflation in 2025 Between November 2021 and July 2023 inflation was higher than wage growth in the UK, with wages still outpacing inflation as of March 2025. At the peak of the recent wave of high inflation in October 2022, the CPI inflation rate reached a 41-year-high of 11.1 percent, wages were growing much slower at 6.1 percent. Since that peak, inflation remained persistently high for several months, only dropping below double figures in April 2023, when inflation was 8.7 percent, down from 10.1 percent in the previous month. For 2023 as a whole, the average annual rate of inflation was 7.3 percent but fell to 2.5 percent in 2024, but is forecast to increase to 3.2 percent in 2025. Highest and lowest-paid occupations As of 2023, the highest-paid occupation in the UK was that of Chief Executives and Senior Officials, who had an average weekly pay of approximately, 1,576 pounds. By contrast, the lowest-paid occupation that year was that of retail cashiers, and check-out operators, who earned approximately 383 pounds a week. For industry sectors as a whole, people who worked full-time in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply sector had the highest average earnings, at 955 pounds a week, compared with 505 pounds a week in the accommodation and food services sector, the lowest average earnings in 2023.

Annual estimates of paid hours worked and earnings for UK employees by sex, and full-time and part-time, by age group.

In April 2026, the UK minimum wage for adults over the age of 21 will be 12.71 pounds per hour. For the 2026/27 financial year, there are four minimum wage categories, three of which are based on age and one for apprentice workers. Apprentices, and workers under the age of 18 will have a minimum wage of eight pounds an hour, increasing to 10.85 pounds for those aged 18 to 20. When the minimum wage was first introduced in 1999, there were just two age categories; 18 to 21, and 22 and over. This increased to three categories in 2004, four in 2010, and five between 2016 and 2023, before being reduced down to four in the most recent year. The living wage The living wage is an alternative minimum wage amount that employers in the UK can voluntarily pay their employees. It is calculated independently of the legal minimum wage and results in a higher value figure. In 2023/24, for example, the living wage was twelve pounds an hour for the UK as a whole and 13.15 for workers in London, where the cost of living is typically higher. This living wage is different from what the UK government has named the national living wage, which was 10.42 in the same financial year. Between 2011/12 and 2023/24, the living wage has increased by 4.80 pounds, while the London living wage has grown by 4.85 pounds. Wage growth cancelled-out by high inflation 2021-2023 For a long period between the middle of 2021 and late 2023, average wage growth in the UK was unable to keep up with record inflation levels, resulting in the biggest fall in disposable income since 1956. Although the UK government attempted to mitigate the impact of falling living standards through a series of cost of living payments, the situation has still been very difficult for households. After peaking at 11.1 percent in October 2022, the UK's inflation rate remained in double figures until March 2023, and did not fall to the preferred rate of two percent until May 2024. As of November 2024, regular weekly pay in the UK was growing by 5.6 percent in nominal terms, and 2.5 percent when adjusted for inflation.

In 2024, the highest median amount of disposable income was among those aged 25 to 34 year-olds, at 43,552 pounds, with the highest mean income among those aged between 55 and 65.

In the United Kingdom, the average annual earnings of graduates was higher at almost all ages in 2017, with graduates aged 46 the highest earners overall. From the ages of 21 to 23, those with an apprenticeship were the top earners, however, from the age of 24 onwards, graduates became the top earners. Each education level, despite some fluctuations, follows the same rough trend arc of growth and decline in earnings depending on age.

In 2025, it is predicted that average earnings in the United Kingdom will increase by *** percent, compared with a growth rate of *** percent in 2024, and *** percent in 2023, the fastest average earnings growth in this time period. By contrast, average earnings did not grow at all in 2020, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Earnings vs inflation Although earnings grew at their fastest pace between 2021 and 2023 in this provided time period, this was offset by the period of very high inflation that occurred alongside it. This reached a peak of **** percent in October 2022, with inflation only reaching the typical target rate of *** percent in May 2024. Despite strong wage growth, the average UK worker saw their earnings fall relative to inflation between November 2021 and May 2023. As of January 2024, weekly wages in the UK were still growing faster than inflation, at *** percent for regular pay and *** percent for pay including bonuses. Full-time earnings reach over ****** GBP in 2024 Full-time employees in the United Kingdom earned an average annual salary of ****** British pounds in 2024, compared with just over ****** in the previous year. As of this year, men reported higher earnings than women did, with the UK reporting a gender pay gap of **** percent for 2024, compared with **** percent in 1997. Workers in their 40s had the highest average earnings by age group, at approximately ****** for men, and ****** for women. Although men earned more than women in all age groups, this gap was smallest among workers aged 18 to 21.

From April 2026 onwards, the UK's main national minimum wage category, the national living wage, will rise to ***** pounds per hour, up from ***** pounds per hour in the previous financial year. This amount will apply to workers aged 21 and over, compared with 2022 and 2023 when it was only for workers aged 23 and over, and for those aged 25 and over between 2016 and 2021. The main minimum wage from 2010 to 2015 was the 21+ rate, and 22+ rate between 1999 and 2009. Evolution of the minimum wage Since its introduction in 1999, the minimum wage has had various rate categories, usually based on age. For the first five years, there were two categories, one for workers 18 to 21, and another for workers aged 22 and over. In 2004, a minimum wage for under 18s was introduced, and between 2010 and 2015 there were three rates based on age, and one for apprenticeships. Another age based-rate was added in 2016, but from 2024 onwards, the model will revert to four rate categories overall. In addition to the legal minimum wage, there is also a voluntary real living wage, which for 2024/25 is **** pounds per hour, rising to ***** pounds per hour for workers in London. Wages continue to outpace inflation in 2024 Since July 2023, wages have grown faster than inflation in the UK with December 2024 seeing regular weekly earnings grow by *** percent, compared with the CPI inflation rate of *** percent that month. For almost two years between November 2021 and June 2023, wage growth struggled to keep up with inflation, with the biggest gap occurring in October 2022 when inflation peaked at **** percent. The fall in real earnings in one of the most important factors in the UK's ongoing cost of living crisis. At the height of the crisis, around ** percent of UK households were reporting a monthly increase in their cost of living, with this falling to ** percent by March 2024.

Data on the gross median hourly pay for employees in the United Kingdom (UK) for 2020, by age group, shows that the age group which earned the highest hourly pay were those between the ages of 40 and 49 years, at 15.86 British pounds per hour. The age group that earned the lowest hourly pay, excluding 16 and 17 year olds, were those between the ages of 18 and 21 years, at 9 British pounds per hour.

Wages for regular pay in the United Kingdom grew by approximately 4.6 percent in the three months to September 2025, compared with 4.7 percent in the previous month. When adjusted for inflation, however, wage in the UK grew by just 0.5 percent. Twenty months of inflation outpacing wages Between November 2021 and June 2023, inflation was higher than wage growth in the UK, resulting in falling real terms earnings throughout this 20-month period. While UK inflation peaked at 11.1 percent in October 2022, it was not until April 2023 that it fell below double figures, and not until May 2024 that it reached the Bank of England's target of two percent. Forecasts from the Autumn 2024 budget predict that the annual UK inflation for 2024 will be 2.5 percent, down from 7.3 percent in 2023 and 9.1 percent in 2022. Due to high inflation, the UK's minimum wage also rose quite significantly during this period, with the "main" rate increasing from 8.91 pounds per hour in 2021 to 12.21 pounds per hour in 2025. Average earnings and gender pay gap For full-time workers in the United Kingdom, the median average annual earnings was just over 39,000 British pounds in 2025, compared with around 37,500 pounds in 2024. In London, average earnings were significantly higher than the rest of the country, at just under 50,000 pounds. Just two other areas of the United Kingdom, the South East and Scotland, had annual salaries above the UK average. North East England had the lowest average salary, at 34,400 pounds. As of 2025, the gender pay gap for median gross hourly earnings in the UK was 12.8 percent for all workers, falling to 6.9 percent for full-time workers and -2.9 percent for part-time workers. Compared with 1997, when the gender pay gap was 27.5 percent for all workers, there has been a degree of progress, although, at current trends, it will be some time before the gap is closed entirely.

On average, the income of seventeen year olds in the United Kingdom was higher than that children in any other age group. Between March 2024 and February 2025, children aged six had a weekly income of 4.99 British pounds, while those aged 17 had an income of 23.97 per week. Those figures include the weekly regular pocket money provided to children by parents, as well as income from chores and jobs, and other sources of money.

Children and money worldwide The average amount of pocket money of Japanese children did not exactly follow the correlation observed in this statistic about the United Kingdom. In Japan, kids had more money before they reach the age to enroll in elementary school than during their elementary school studies. There are several ways through which children can save money themselves or with the help of their parents. The most common financial instruments for children between eight and 14 years old in the United States were savings accounts and piggy banks. Child poverty Child poverty is a problem affecting a significant share of the population even in developed economies. For example, 14.4 percent of all children in Germany were at risk of poverty in 2024. Meanwhile, Romania, Montenegro, and Bulgaria were, in 2022, some of the countries with the most children at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Central and Eastern Europe. The probability of children finding themselves in these situations can vary within a country depending on their socioeconomic and ethnic background, the region where they live, or whether they are being raised by a single parent or not.

This statistic shows the median basic pay for employees in the United Kingdom (UK) for 2019, by age group. The age group which earned the highest basic pay was those between the ages of 40 to 49 years, at ***** British pounds. The age group that earned the lowest basic pay, excluding 16 and 17 years olds, were those between the ages of 18 and 21 years, at ***** British pounds.

This statistic shows the average monthly income of youths aged 15 to 21 years old in Great Britain in 2014, by education level. According to the survey, respondents attending college have access to *** British pounds a month on average, through income streams such as pocket money and part time work.

For the 2025/26 financial year, the annual salary for Members of Parliament (MPs) in the United Kingdom was 93,904 British pounds. This marked an increase of around 2,558 pounds when compared with the previous year, when the annual salary was 91,346 pounds. In 2021/22, there was no increase in pay for MPs in the UK because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the annual salary remaining at 81,932 pounds per year at that time. Comparison with average earnings In 2025, the median earnings for full-time workers in the UK was around 39,000 pounds a year, with MPs earning just over 54,000 pounds more than this. The appropriate salary for MPs is a charged issue in the UK, especially with the country currently facing its worst Cost of Living Crisis in decades. As of October 2025, over sixty percent of Britons were facing higher living costs compared with the previous month, while more than half thought the economy was the main issue facing the country. MPs themselves are not responsible for deciding their pay, and since 2011, decisions regarding MPs pay and expenses lie with the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA). House of Commons demographics The makeup of the UK parliament has changed quite noticeably in recent years. In 1979 for example, just three percent of MPs were women, compared with 41 percent in 2024. As of 2024, there were 90 non-white MPs, compared with four in 1987. Following the 2019 election, most MPs were aged between 50 and 59, with only 21 of them in their twenties or younger. The number of LGBTQ+ MPs in the 2019 parliament was estimated at 46, compared with 45 in 2017.

In 2025, the difference between average hourly earnings for men and women in the United Kingdom for all workers was 12.8 percent, compared with 6.9 percent for full-time workers, and -2.9 percent for part-time workers. During the provided time period, the gender pay gap was at its highest in 1997, when it was 27.5 percent for all workers. Compared with 1997, the gender pay gap has fallen by 13.2 percent for all workers, and 9.7 percent for full-time workers. Gender pay gap higher in older age groups Although the gender pay gap among younger age groups was relatively small in 2024, the double-digit pay gap evident in older age groups served to keep the overall gap high. The gender pay gap for workers aged between 18 and 21 for example was -0.5 percent, compared with 12.1percent for people in their 50s. Additionally, the gender pay gap for people aged over 60 has changed little since 1997, falling by just 1.2 percent between 1997 and 2023, compared with a 14.9 percent reduction among workers in their 40s. Positions of power As of 2024, women are unfortunately still relatively underrepresented in leadership positions at Britain’s top businesses. Among FTSE 100 companies, for example, just 9.4 percent of CEOs were female, falling to just 6.1 percent for FTSE 250 companies. Representation was better when it came to FTSE 100 boardrooms, with 44.7 percent of positions at this level being filled by women, compared with 42.6 percent at FTSE 250 companies. In the corridors of political power, the proportion of female MPs was estimated to have reached its highest ever level after the 2024 election at 41 percent, compared with just three percent in 1979.

This statistic shows the median hours worked for basic pay by part-time employees in the United Kingdom (UK) for 2019, by age group. The age group which worked the most hours for basic pay were those between the ages of 50 to 59 years at ** hours. The age group which worked the least hours for basic pay, excluding 16 and 17 year olds, were those between the ages of 18 and 21 years, at **** hours.

In 2024/25 the value of tax receipts for the United Kingdom amounted to approximately 840 billion British pounds. Tax receipts form the bulk of UK government income, based on various direct and indirect taxes. Although tax income has gradually increased throughout most of this period, there is a noticeable dip in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tax revenue sources Of the revenue generated by taxation in 2024/25, over 301 billion of this came from Income Tax receipts, which was the main source of direct tax income for the government. After income tax, the next most substantial direct tax were contributions from National Insurance, which amounted to just over 172.5 billion pounds of tax revenue. The UK's main goods and services tax; Value-added Tax (VAT) amounted to 170.6 billion pounds, while Corporation Tax receipts raised 91.6 billion pounds. Although other smaller direct and indirect taxes produce notable income, these four sources were by far the main sources of income in the previous financial year. UK government finances While taxes and other sources of income raised more than 1.13 trillion pounds in 2024/25, the UK government expenditure was around 1.28 trillion pounds. This gap between revenue and expenditure was financed via government borrowing, which amounted to almost 152 billion pounds. As the UK government has been spending more than it earns for several years, this has resulted in a significant government debt of 2.8 trillion pounds building up, the equivalent of just under 96 percent of GDP in 2024/25.