Skip to content
worldsalaries .com

Average Adult Nurse Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

An adult nurse in United Kingdom earns about 58,200 GBP a year. That's 16% below the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 26,100 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 88,400 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does an adult nurse make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
58,200 GBP
4,850 GBP per month
Lowest reported
26,100 GBP
2,175 GBP per month
Highest reported
88,400 GBP
7,366 GBP per month

A typical adult nurse working in United Kingdom brings home around 4,850 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 26,100 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 88,400 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior adult nurse working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the adult nurse salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How adult nurse pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all adult nurses in United Kingdom earn less than 58,600 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 39,100 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 72,300 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of adult nurses sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 26,100 GBP. The highest stretch to 88,400 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

26,100
Low
58,600
Median
88,400
High
39,100
25th
72,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Adult nurse pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an adult nurse in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical adult nurse salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    32,300 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +25% from previous
    40,300 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +40% from previous
    56,600 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +29% from previous
    73,100 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +4% from previous
    75,800 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +6% from previous
    80,500 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 40%. That is the point at which a adult nurse typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Adult nurse pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving adult nurse pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average adult nurse salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    39,700 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +64% from previous
    65,100 GBP

Adult nurse gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male adult nurses in United Kingdom earn an average of 54,200 GBP a year, while female adult nurses earn around 57,800 GBP. That works out to a 6% gap in favour of women, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Adult Nurse gender pay gap

6%

Men earn this much less than women on average in United Kingdom.

Women 57,800 GBP
Men 54,200 GBP

Pay raises for an adult nurse in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 10% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 7% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Adult nurse bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

33%

33% of adult nurses in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an adult nurse a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 67% of adult nurses reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Adult nurse: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Adult nurse salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Adult nurse pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Leeds
  • London
  • Glasgow
  • Sheffield
  • Bristol
  • Bradford
  • Somerset
  • Birmingham
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion112,700 GBP116,400 GBP54,100-176,300 GBP
ScotlandRegion77,100 GBP73,500 GBP42,500-118,900 GBP
LeedsCity68,900 GBP68,200 GBP30,300-105,800 GBP
LondonCity67,900 GBP72,400 GBP30,300-107,700 GBP
GlasgowCity66,400 GBP68,200 GBP31,700-105,800 GBP
SheffieldCity65,500 GBP67,000 GBP30,200-101,100 GBP
BristolCity64,900 GBP65,800 GBP30,200-100,700 GBP
BradfordCity63,900 GBP63,900 GBP30,200-98,800 GBP
SomersetCity63,800 GBP61,200 GBP32,300-97,600 GBP
BirminghamCity63,500 GBP66,100 GBP27,400-99,700 GBP
CardiffCity63,500 GBP60,800 GBP31,700-95,400 GBP
YorkCity62,100 GBP62,100 GBP29,100-93,300 GBP
NewcastleCity61,800 GBP57,100 GBP35,500-93,900 GBP
NottinghamCity61,700 GBP60,400 GBP35,100-94,200 GBP
ManchesterCity61,700 GBP61,700 GBP32,900-94,800 GBP
CoventryCity61,700 GBP65,100 GBP27,300-98,000 GBP
EdinburghCity61,700 GBP58,200 GBP32,200-95,300 GBP
LeicesterCity61,600 GBP58,500 GBP33,200-92,600 GBP
LiverpoolCity61,400 GBP60,800 GBP31,700-96,400 GBP
WolverhamptonCity60,900 GBP65,500 GBP26,200-92,600 GBP
PeterboroughCity60,500 GBP57,100 GBP31,400-90,300 GBP
DundeeCity60,500 GBP61,400 GBP28,900-92,900 GBP
BelfastCity60,400 GBP61,400 GBP28,900-92,900 GBP
ArmaghCity59,800 GBP53,500 GBP31,800-86,800 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity58,800 GBP57,900 GBP31,700-93,200 GBP
PlymouthCity58,600 GBP62,600 GBP26,500-91,700 GBP
SouthamptonCity57,800 GBP51,100 GBP31,200-84,600 GBP
SwanseaCity57,800 GBP50,100 GBP29,600-83,700 GBP
LincolnCity57,400 GBP61,600 GBP28,800-91,600 GBP
DerbyCity57,200 GBP55,500 GBP27,300-88,400 GBP
PortsmouthCity57,000 GBP61,300 GBP24,200-89,900 GBP
BrightonCity56,900 GBP54,600 GBP29,600-88,300 GBP
AberdeenCity56,900 GBP54,600 GBP29,600-88,300 GBP
PooleCity56,800 GBP54,500 GBP27,400-88,600 GBP
ExeterCity56,600 GBP56,600 GBP27,300-90,300 GBP
NewryCity56,100 GBP54,300 GBP29,300-85,100 GBP
NorwichCity55,400 GBP56,100 GBP25,800-85,100 GBP
HartlepoolCity55,200 GBP57,100 GBP25,800-86,800 GBP
GloucesterCity55,100 GBP49,100 GBP29,300-84,200 GBP
WinchesterCity54,700 GBP53,600 GBP26,500-83,300 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion54,100 GBP54,600 GBP27,600-84,800 GBP
OxfordCity54,100 GBP56,900 GBP27,000-88,600 GBP
DerryCity54,100 GBP52,000 GBP30,800-83,800 GBP
WalesRegion53,600 GBP50,800 GBP27,700-80,000 GBP
NewportCity52,800 GBP58,400 GBP23,600-87,000 GBP
KirkwallCity52,600 GBP55,700 GBP25,300-79,800 GBP
InvernessCity52,300 GBP49,700 GBP25,800-78,200 GBP
DurhamCity51,900 GBP58,100 GBP25,300-83,000 GBP
LisburnCity51,800 GBP54,300 GBP25,400-80,700 GBP
SalisburyCity51,500 GBP44,500 GBP26,500-77,300 GBP
StirlingCity51,300 GBP51,400 GBP27,300-81,000 GBP
WakefieldCity51,300 GBP49,700 GBP25,800-78,200 GBP
StromnessCity51,300 GBP55,100 GBP22,200-79,600 GBP
CambridgeCity51,300 GBP49,800 GBP29,600-78,700 GBP
CanterburyCity51,300 GBP52,300 GBP23,600-79,600 GBP
RiponCity51,100 GBP51,100 GBP24,400-79,600 GBP
ChesterCity50,000 GBP48,000 GBP27,300-76,800 GBP
BangorCity50,000 GBP52,000 GBP21,300-75,900 GBP
AbingdonCity49,800 GBP53,300 GBP22,200-77,300 GBP
TruroCity49,300 GBP54,600 GBP25,400-79,800 GBP
St DavidsCity49,200 GBP49,200 GBP26,400-78,200 GBP
StrontianCity48,600 GBP48,600 GBP22,000-72,700 GBP
WellsCity48,300 GBP51,800 GBP23,500-80,200 GBP

Adult Nurse in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does an adult nurse make per month in United Kingdom?

    An adult nurse in United Kingdom earns about 4,850 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 58,200 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for an adult nurse in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level adult nurses in United Kingdom start near 26,100 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 88,400 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 39,100 and 72,300 GBP.

  • Is the median adult nurse salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 58,600 GBP, higher than the average of 58,200 GBP. Half of adult nurses in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for adult nurses in United Kingdom?

    Men working as an adult nurse in United Kingdom earn around 6% less than women on average (54,200 vs 57,800 GBP a year).

  • Do adult nurses in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 33% of adult nurses in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.

  • Do adult nurses earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays an adult nurse about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do adult nurses in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    An adult nurse in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 10% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.