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Average CEO Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A CEO in United Kingdom earns about 163,500 GBP a year. That's 135% above 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 83,300 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 250,600 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 a CEO make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
163,500 GBP
13,625 GBP per month
Lowest reported
83,300 GBP
6,941 GBP per month
Highest reported
250,600 GBP
20,883 GBP per month

A typical CEO working in United Kingdom brings home around 13,625 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 83,300 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 250,600 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 CEO 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 CEO salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How CEO 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 CEOs in United Kingdom earn less than 156,200 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 109,700 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 195,200 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of CEOs sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 83,300 GBP. The highest stretch to 250,600 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.

83,300
Low
156,200
Median
250,600
High
109,700
25th
195,200
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

CEO pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a CEO 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 CEO salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    96,000 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +34% from previous
    128,400 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +31% from previous
    168,700 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +22% from previous
    205,700 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +8% from previous
    222,700 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +5% from previous
    233,800 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 34%. That is the point at which a CEO 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.

CEO pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving CEO 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 CEO salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    91,600 GBP
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +19% from previous
    109,000 GBP
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +36% from previous
    147,900 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +42% from previous
    210,400 GBP
  • PhD
    +18% from previous
    248,400 GBP

CEO 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 CEOs in United Kingdom earn an average of 166,600 GBP a year, while female CEOs earn around 160,700 GBP. That works out to a 4% gap in favour of men, 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.

CEO gender pay gap

4%

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

Men 166,600 GBP
Women 160,700 GBP

Pay raises for a CEO 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 15% every 15 months, which works out to roughly 12% 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

CEO 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.

83%

83% of CEOs in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a CEO a high-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 6% to 8% of base salary. The remaining 17% of CEOs 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

CEO: 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

CEO salary by city and region in United Kingdom

CEO 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
  • Liverpool
  • Glasgow
  • Leicester
  • Bristol
  • Somerset
  • Manchester
  • London
  • Sheffield
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion294,300 GBP283,400 GBP152,900-451,000 GBP
ScotlandRegion226,100 GBP222,300 GBP114,300-350,000 GBP
LiverpoolCity187,500 GBP200,600 GBP87,900-296,500 GBP
GlasgowCity185,900 GBP185,900 GBP95,100-290,200 GBP
LeicesterCity184,700 GBP187,500 GBP91,900-290,200 GBP
BristolCity184,700 GBP175,200 GBP95,100-280,600 GBP
SomersetCity184,700 GBP193,400 GBP84,300-288,900 GBP
ManchesterCity184,700 GBP169,700 GBP100,900-280,400 GBP
LondonCity183,900 GBP195,200 GBP84,500-290,200 GBP
SheffieldCity183,600 GBP175,100 GBP97,200-283,400 GBP
LeedsCity183,600 GBP183,600 GBP92,300-285,300 GBP
BirminghamCity180,500 GBP193,400 GBP84,600-286,700 GBP
BradfordCity177,100 GBP163,500 GBP94,800-267,900 GBP
BelfastCity177,100 GBP171,300 GBP93,100-272,500 GBP
DerbyCity175,200 GBP185,900 GBP84,600-278,500 GBP
EdinburghCity172,200 GBP169,700 GBP90,000-268,200 GBP
PeterboroughCity172,100 GBP175,200 GBP83,100-267,900 GBP
CoventryCity172,100 GBP180,500 GBP83,800-272,500 GBP
YorkCity169,700 GBP156,200 GBP92,300-258,700 GBP
CardiffCity168,700 GBP177,200 GBP80,800-268,200 GBP
PlymouthCity167,100 GBP176,300 GBP80,000-263,900 GBP
WolverhamptonCity167,100 GBP182,400 GBP75,800-265,800 GBP
NottinghamCity166,600 GBP163,500 GBP84,800-258,700 GBP
NewcastleCity166,600 GBP156,200 GBP90,600-252,400 GBP
SwanseaCity165,900 GBP157,600 GBP89,300-253,400 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity165,900 GBP164,100 GBP86,400-255,000 GBP
PooleCity165,900 GBP175,200 GBP79,600-260,300 GBP
AberdeenCity164,100 GBP152,900 GBP84,300-245,400 GBP
DundeeCity163,800 GBP158,700 GBP85,500-252,500 GBP
BrightonCity163,500 GBP152,700 GBP86,300-248,400 GBP
OxfordCity163,500 GBP163,500 GBP80,500-252,400 GBP
CambridgeCity163,500 GBP160,600 GBP83,000-252,500 GBP
PortsmouthCity163,500 GBP175,100 GBP74,600-259,700 GBP
SouthamptonCity161,300 GBP158,700 GBP83,800-248,400 GBP
NorwichCity160,700 GBP152,700 GBP83,200-245,600 GBP
ArmaghCity160,700 GBP151,800 GBP85,400-243,000 GBP
NewportCity160,600 GBP172,200 GBP72,400-255,000 GBP
StirlingCity160,600 GBP169,700 GBP77,400-252,400 GBP
ExeterCity160,600 GBP146,900 GBP85,700-241,800 GBP
LincolnCity158,900 GBP163,500 GBP74,200-247,400 GBP
ChesterCity158,900 GBP160,600 GBP76,900-246,200 GBP
HartlepoolCity153,700 GBP146,900 GBP80,800-235,300 GBP
WalesRegion153,700 GBP147,900 GBP81,700-236,700 GBP
WinchesterCity153,700 GBP163,500 GBP72,000-245,600 GBP
LisburnCity152,900 GBP152,900 GBP76,000-235,300 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion152,700 GBP152,700 GBP75,800-238,200 GBP
DerryCity151,800 GBP146,900 GBP78,200-231,400 GBP
GloucesterCity151,800 GBP140,200 GBP80,700-228,200 GBP
NewryCity150,100 GBP153,800 GBP71,400-232,500 GBP
St DavidsCity148,300 GBP134,700 GBP78,400-219,500 GBP
TruroCity148,300 GBP148,300 GBP74,500-226,100 GBP
CanterburyCity147,900 GBP147,900 GBP74,100-225,500 GBP
DurhamCity147,900 GBP158,900 GBP67,900-231,400 GBP
RiponCity146,900 GBP137,100 GBP79,000-222,700 GBP
SalisburyCity146,700 GBP137,100 GBP75,900-218,100 GBP
WakefieldCity146,700 GBP146,900 GBP72,400-225,500 GBP
BangorCity146,700 GBP151,800 GBP67,800-226,100 GBP
StrontianCity142,300 GBP132,000 GBP78,200-216,600 GBP
KirkwallCity142,300 GBP146,900 GBP68,900-223,700 GBP
InvernessCity142,100 GBP142,300 GBP68,400-218,100 GBP
StromnessCity141,000 GBP151,800 GBP66,000-222,300 GBP
WellsCity140,200 GBP146,900 GBP67,800-222,700 GBP
AbingdonCity140,200 GBP146,900 GBP70,100-222,700 GBP

CEO in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a CEO make per month in United Kingdom?

    A CEO in United Kingdom earns about 13,625 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 163,500 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a CEO in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level CEOs in United Kingdom start near 83,300 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 250,600 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 109,700 and 195,200 GBP.

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

    The median is 156,200 GBP, lower than the average of 163,500 GBP. Half of CEOs in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

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

    Men working as a CEO in United Kingdom earn around 4% more than women on average (166,600 vs 160,700 GBP a year).

  • Do CEOs in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 83% of CEOs in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 8% of base salary.

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

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

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

    A CEO in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 15% every 15 months, equivalent to roughly 12% a year.