Learn how much you can earn as a pharmacist based on experience, employer, and location.
If you鈥檙e interested in working as a pharmacist, you can potentially earn an above-average salary鈥斅37,430, according to Statista鈥檚 2025 data for the United Kingdom []. According to Glassdoor, the median annual salary for this position is 拢43,171, a significant increase in earning potential [].
Pharmacists, also called dispensing chemists, community pharmacists, or hospital pharmacists,聽are highly trained medical professionals who deeply understand pharmaceutical drugs and how they interact with human biology. Whether providing patients with medication at a community pharmacy or working alongside physicians in a hospital or GP practice, pharmacists are well-rewarded for their unique skill set, knowledge, and expertise.
Learn more about what you can expect to make as a pharmacist, how different factors may impact your salary expectations, and the many ways that online courses can help you prepare for a future career in the field.听
According to the National Careers Service, the average pharmacist's salary ranges from 拢37,000 to 拢61,000 per year []. Furthermore, depending on the source, the average or median annual salary that you can expect to earn as a pharmacist is as follows:聽
National Careers Service: 拢37,000 to 61,000 per year (average) [闭听
Indeed: 拢52,418 per year (average) [闭听
Glassdoor: 拢43,417 per year (median) []
Talent: 拢47,713 per year (average) []
Payscale: 拢39,800 per year (average) []
The pay you earn as a pharmacist will likely depend on your experience, the industry in which you work, and your geographic location.听Explore these factors to help you better understand what you can expect to earn in this impactful health care profession.听
Job growth over the next five years will likely take off as the demand for pharmacists increases and their roles shift and evolve. Technological advances in medicine and healthcare account for other factors expected to impact the growing need for pharmacists in the UK.听
Your work experience can greatly impact how much you earn as a pharmacist. According to Glassdoor, the median annual base salary you can expect to earn based on years of experience is []:
0鈥1 years: 拢41,521听
1鈥3 years: 拢43,171
4鈥6 years: 拢45,180听
7鈥9 years: 拢46,440听
10鈥14 years: 拢48,079听
15 or more years: 拢48,544
If you work as a pharmacist for the National Health Service (NHS), your salary is also affected by which band you work in. Bands refer to the pay scales used within the NHS to categorise different roles and levels of responsibility, typically also tied to years of professional experience. The banding system for pharmacists ranges from band 6 through band 9. As pharmacists gain experience, take on more responsibilities, or specialise in certain areas, they can move up through the bands, which typically leads to higher pay and more significant job duties.
Where you work can also impact how much you earn as a pharmacist. Pharmacists in the UK can work as hospital pharmacists in hospitals, general practice (GP) pharmacists, and community pharmacists in public organisations like local pharmacies or as independent or locum pharmacists. Private and public organisations, such as the NHS, employ pharmacists. As a result, salary ranges can vary greatly, and your salary structure may differ based on where you work.听
For example, if you work as a hospital pharmacist for the NHS, the organisation determines your salary by which band you start. Hospital pharmacists usually start on band 6 (entry-level), where the average annual earnings start at 拢35,392, and extend to band 9 (chief pharmacist), where you could earn up to聽拢114,949 per year, depending on where you work within the UK []. On average, NHS pharmacists in England earn more than the national average, so if obtaining a higher salary is a crucial goal, consider looking for a position within the NHS. Working as a hospital pharmacist in a private hospital may pay even better than the NHS, depending on the hospital.听
If you work as a community pharmacist for the public sector, for a company such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Boots, or Walgreens Boots Alliance, your average annual earnings to start will likely come close to 拢40,000 per year [闭.听
The earnings of locum pharmacists, or pharmacists who work on a contractual basis through an agency, also vary by the organisation where they work. Still, the pay is generally higher per hour since the jobs are short and often involve nights and weekends. Glassdoor reports the average annual salary for a locum pharmacist as 拢51,658 per year, with a total range of 拢42,000 to 拢64,000 per year []. When looking at the companies that employ locum pharmacists, Glassdoor reports amongst the highest include Lloyds Pharmacy, Boots, and Well Pharmacy.
Where you live and work can impact how much you can earn as a pharmacist.听
While dense cities tend to have higher costs of living and higher salaries, less populated regions often have lower living costs and salaries due to lower demand. To better understand how much you can make in the different areas, take a look at the average pay pharmacists earn in nine different cities within the United Kingdom, according to Indeed [] :
Doncaster: 拢55,081 per year
London: 拢50,417 per year
Coventry: 拢49,300 per year
Colchester: 拢61,128 per year
Godalming: 拢51,486 per year
Blackburn: 拢49,806 per year
Leicester: 拢51,063 per year
Manchester: 拢50,537 per year聽
Birmingham: 拢46,689 per year聽
Pharmacists are highly trained medical professionals with deep knowledge of medication and its interaction with the human body, which can translate to other jobs such as toxicologists. Pharmacists work in various healthcare environments and have transferable skills such as communication, critical evaluation, and time management that are applicable in numerous positions.听
If you鈥檙e considering a position in the sciences that encompasses some of the same skills and responsibilities that pharmacists use every day, then review the following positions along with their median or average annual pay, according to Glassdoor:聽
Toxicologist: 拢33,918 [闭听
Pharmaceutical sales representative: 拢49,054 []
Bioinformatics scientist: 拢45,296听摆]
Clinical research scientist: 拢40,714 []
If you care about others and want to work in the health industry while potentially earning an above-average salary, a pharmacist job could be an excellent match for your goals and interests. You can start preparing for your own career in this field by taking a cost-effective online course on 糖心vlog官网观看.听
For example, you could consider enrolling in Imperial College London鈥檚 course A Guide to Healthcare Innovation: Principles and Practice, part of the Global Health Innovations Specialisation, available on 糖心vlog官网观看. With these options, you can discover more about the types of innovation in health care, product development, and commercialisation, as well as how to turn innovation into practice. Enroll today.听
Statista. 鈥, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1002964/average-full-time-annual-earnings-in-the-uk/.鈥 Accessed 14 May 2025.
Glassdoor. 鈥, https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Salaries/united-kingdom-pharmacist-salary-SRCH_IL.0,14_IN2_KO15,25.htm.鈥 Accessed 14 May 2025.
National Careers Service. 鈥, https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/pharmacist.鈥 Accessed 14 May 2025.
Indeed. 鈥, https://uk.indeed.com/career/pharmacist/salaries?from=top_sb.鈥 Accessed 14 May 2025.
Talent. 鈥, https://uk.talent.com/salary?job=pharmacist+.鈥 Accessed 14 May 2025.
Payscale. 鈥, https://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Job=Pharmacist/Salary.鈥 Accessed 14 May 2025.
Prospects. 鈥, https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/hospital-pharmacist.鈥 Accessed 14 May 2025.
Glassdoor. 鈥, https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Salaries/united-kingdom-locum-pharmacist-salary-SRCH_IL.0,14_IN2_KO15,31.htm.鈥 Accessed 14 May 2025.
Glassdoor. 鈥, https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Salaries/united-kingdom-toxicologist-salary-SRCH_IL.0,14_IN2_KO15,27.htm.鈥 Accessed 14 May 2025.
Glassdoor. 鈥, https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Salaries/united-kingdom-pharmaceutical-sales-representative-salary-SRCH_IL.0,14_IN2_KO15,50.htm.鈥 Accessed 14 May 2025.
Glassdoor. 鈥, https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Salaries/united-kingdom-bioinformatics-scientist-salary-SRCH_IL.0,14_IN2_KO15,39.htm.鈥 Accessed 14 May 2025.
Glassdoor. 鈥, https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Salaries/united-kingdom-clinical-research-scientist-salary-SRCH_IL.0,14_IN2_KO15,42.htm.鈥 Accessed 14 May 2025.
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