A person working as a Pharmacist in United Kingdom typically earns around 87,600 GBP per year. Salaries range from 42,900 GBP (lowest) to 137,000 GBP (highest).
This is the average yearly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Pharmacist salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Pharmacist salaries in United Kingdom range from 42,900 GBP per year (minimum salary) to 137,000 GBP per year (maximum salary).
The median salary is 89,300 GBP per year, which means that half (50%) of people working as Pharmacist(s) are earning less than 89,300 GBP while the other half are earning more than 89,300 GBP. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Pharmacist(s) are earning less than 59,500 GBP while 75% of them are earning more than 59,500 GBP. Also from the diagram, 75% of Pharmacist(s) are earning less than 115,000 GBP while 25% are earning more than 115,000 GBP.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Pharmacist salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Pharmacist with less than two years of experience makes approximately 50,900 GBP per year.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 65,400 GBP per year, 29% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 90,200 GBP per year, 38% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Pharmacist(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 112,000 GBP per year, 24% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 120,000 GBP per year, 7% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 128,000 GBP per year, 7% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 50,900 GBP | |
2 - 5 Years | +29% | 65,400 GBP |
5 - 10 Years | +38% | 90,200 GBP |
10 - 15 Years | +24% | 112,000 GBP |
15 - 20 Years | +7% | 120,000 GBP |
20+ Years | +7% | 128,000 GBP |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Pharmacist salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is Bachelor's Degree, the average salary of a Pharmacist is 63,500 GBP per year.
While someone with a Master's Degree gets a salary of 102,000 GBP per year, 60% more than someone having a Bachelor's Degree degree.
Bachelor's Degree | 63,500 GBP | |
Master's Degree | +60% | 102,000 GBP |
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in United Kingdom costs anywhere from 29,600 Pound Sterling(s) to 88,700 Pound Sterling(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support the thoery. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Pharmacist employees in United Kingdom earn 4% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 89,400 GBP | |
Female | -4% | 85,600 GBP |
Pharmacist(s) in United Kingdom are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 12% every 15 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 9% granted to employees every 15 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 3% | |
Energy | 6% | |
Information Technology | 9% | |
Healthcare | 3% | |
Travel | 6% | |
Construction | 9% | |
Education | 3% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in United Kingdom for the year 2021. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
A Pharmacist is considered to be a moderate bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
41% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 59% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 59% | |
No Bonus | 41% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Pharmacist is 8% less than that of Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology. Also, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology salaries are 34% more than those of All Jobs.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Assistant Pharmacist | 63,800 GBP | ![]() |
Assistant Pharmacy Director | 115,000 GBP | ![]() |
Associate Medical Affairs Director | 159,000 GBP | ![]() |
Bioinformatics Scientist | 141,000 GBP | ![]() |
Bioinformatics Technician | 66,700 GBP | ![]() |
Biological Scientist | 145,000 GBP | ![]() |
Biological Technician | 63,900 GBP | ![]() |
Biomedical Engineer | 64,000 GBP | ![]() |
Biomedical Engineering Director | 116,000 GBP | ![]() |
Biostatistician | 96,300 GBP | ![]() |
Biotechnologist | 98,300 GBP | ![]() |
Biotechnology Lead Data Manager | 74,100 GBP | ![]() |
Chemical Process Technician | 69,500 GBP | ![]() |
Clinical Consultant | 91,300 GBP | ![]() |
Clinical Data Manager | 96,200 GBP | ![]() |
Clinical Data Specialist | 82,300 GBP | ![]() |
Clinical Operations Manager | 131,000 GBP | ![]() |
Clinical Pharmacist | 90,500 GBP | ![]() |
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist | 110,000 GBP | ![]() |
Clinical Programmer | 50,100 GBP | ![]() |
Clinical Project Manager | 82,300 GBP | ![]() |
Clinical Research Associate | 82,700 GBP | ![]() |
Clinical Research Manager | 139,000 GBP | ![]() |
Clinical Study Manager | 118,000 GBP | ![]() |
Compliance Specialist | 101,000 GBP | ![]() |
Cytology Laboratory Technologist | 78,500 GBP | ![]() |
Cytotechnologist | 73,000 GBP | ![]() |
GCP Auditor | 80,500 GBP | ![]() |
Hospital Pharmacy Technician | 71,700 GBP | ![]() |
Manufacturing Engineer | 78,100 GBP | ![]() |
Medical Affairs Director | 144,000 GBP | ![]() |
Medical Representative | 65,500 GBP | ![]() |
Medical Science Liaison | 103,000 GBP | ![]() |
Molecular and Cellular Biologist | 150,000 GBP | ![]() |
Nuclear Pharmacist | 98,600 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Lead | 177,000 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Operations Excellence Manager | 151,000 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Process Engineer | 81,600 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Production Assistant Manager | 107,000 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Quality Auditor | 106,000 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Assistant | 79,900 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Specialist | 81,800 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Research Associate | 98,300 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Research Scientist | 145,000 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Researcher | 133,000 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Sales and Marketing Manager | 112,000 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Sales Manager | 141,000 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | 63,500 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Manager | 151,000 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Team Leader | 106,000 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmaceutical Technologist | 71,700 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmacist | 87,600 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmacy Aide | 63,000 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmacy Manager | 127,000 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmacy Stock Controller | 53,200 GBP | ![]() |
Pharmacy Technician | 53,900 GBP | ![]() |
Records Management Coordinator | 52,500 GBP | ![]() |
Shift Encapsulator | 57,300 GBP | ![]() |
Staff Pharmacist | 92,000 GBP | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Aberdeen | 96,000 GBP |
Abingdon | 82,200 GBP |
Armagh | 88,300 GBP |
Bangor | 83,100 GBP |
Belfast | 103,000 GBP |
Birmingham | 104,000 GBP |
Bradford | 97,500 GBP |
Brighton | 94,100 GBP |
Bristol | 99,600 GBP |
Cambridge | 84,900 GBP |
Canterbury | 87,400 GBP |
Cardiff | 102,000 GBP |
Chester | 89,700 GBP |
Coventry | 103,000 GBP |
Derby | 99,700 GBP |
Derry | 91,500 GBP |
Dundee | 92,500 GBP |
Durham | 86,900 GBP |
Edinburgh | 102,000 GBP |
Exeter | 91,000 GBP |
Glasgow | 104,000 GBP |
Gloucester | 89,400 GBP |
Hartlepool | 86,900 GBP |
Inverness | 82,500 GBP |
Kingston upon Hull | 98,200 GBP |
Kirkwall | 79,200 GBP |
Leeds | 103,000 GBP |
Leicester | 98,600 GBP |
Lincoln | 88,100 GBP |
Lisburn | 88,000 GBP |
Liverpool | 99,800 GBP |
London | 101,000 GBP |
Manchester | 108,000 GBP |
Newcastle | 102,000 GBP |
Newport | 92,100 GBP |
Newry | 90,200 GBP |
Norwich | 93,000 GBP |
Nottingham | 102,000 GBP |
Oxford | 94,600 GBP |
Peterborough | 94,900 GBP |
Plymouth | 97,000 GBP |
Poole | 90,800 GBP |
Portsmouth | 93,800 GBP |
Ripon | 80,500 GBP |
Salisbury | 82,600 GBP |
Sheffield | 99,800 GBP |
Somerset | 101,000 GBP |
Southampton | 92,000 GBP |
St Davids | 79,500 GBP |
Stirling | 84,900 GBP |
Stromness | 77,200 GBP |
Strontian | 75,700 GBP |
Swansea | 94,400 GBP |
Truro | 79,100 GBP |
Wakefield | 82,000 GBP |
Wells | 84,300 GBP |
Winchester | 87,500 GBP |
Wolverhampton | 99,200 GBP |
York | 95,700 GBP |
State | Average Salary |
England | 183,000 GBP |
Northern Ireland | 86,300 GBP |
Scotland | 134,000 GBP |
Wales | 83,200 GBP |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in United Kingdom earn 4% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 69,500 GBP | |
Public Sector | +4% | 72,600 GBP |