Civil Service pay
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1. Main facts and figures
- in 2019, the average (median) annual pay for all civil servants was £27,100 – this figure is based on the annual pay of all civil servants, including the 22% of the workforce whose ethnicity was not known, and includes pay-related allowances such as regional and skills allowances (but not bonuses)
- of civil servants whose ethnicity was known, Asian and White staff had the lowest average annual pay (£27,200), followed by Black staff (£28,400), staff with Chinese ethnicity (£29,500), and staff from the Mixed ethnic group (£29,600), with staff from the Other ethnic group having the highest (£30,000)
- Black staff had among the highest average annual pay of all ethnic groups at junior grades whilst White staff had among the lowest annual pay at these grades
- comparing across regions, for every £1 White staff were paid, Asian staff were paid less than £1 in every region apart from the South West
- the widest differences in average annual pay between the ethnic groups were among staff at Senior Civil Service Level (the most senior grades) – pay was highest for Chinese staff (£90,500) and lowest for staff in the Mixed ethnic group at (£77,000), a difference of £13,500
- at every grade except Senior Civil Service level, all ethnic minority groups were paid £1 or more for every £1 paid to White staff
Things you need to know
22% of civil servants didn’t report their ethnicity in 2019. The overall figures include civil servants whose ethnicity was not known.
The data doesn’t include people working for:
- the NHS
- non-departmental public bodies
- the Civil Service abroad
- the Northern Ireland Civil Service, which supports the devolved government in Northern Ireland
- central government in security posts
It also doesn’t include people who were:
- not on the payroll (such as contractors)
- not paid during the period covered (such as staff taking unpaid leave)
There are 2 measures of the senior Civil Service available:
- the Senior Civil Service
- ‘SCS Level’, which also includes some senior professionals in health, military and diplomatic roles
This data uses the ‘SCS Level’ measure. As a result, figures may be different to those used for monitoring diversity of the Senior Civil Service.
What the data measures
This data measures the average annual pay for all civil servants from different ethnic groups. It also analyses this information by grade, region, gender, age and relative pay.
The data includes all Civil Service staff working in the UK on a specific date (31 March 2019), rather than throughout the whole year.
It was collected as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey, which counts how many people are employed in the Civil Service, and how diverse the workforce is.
As at 31 March 2019, the total Civil Service workforce was 445,480 (343,960 full-time staff and 101,520 part-time).
The data shows the actual number of staff employed by the Civil Service (known as ‘headcount’) regardless of whether they work full time or part time.
The ethnic categories used in this data
This data is broken down into the following 6 broad groups:
- Asian
- Black
- Chinese
- Mixed ethnic groups
- White
- Other ethnic group
These groups were chosen to keep them at a size where estimates are reliable.
2. By ethnicity over time
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | 2015 £ | 2015 Headcount | 2016 £ | 2016 Headcount | 2017 £ | 2017 Headcount | 2018 £ | 2018 Headcount | 2019 £ | 2019 Headcount |
| All | 25,000 | 439,320 | 25,400 | 418,340 | 25,900 | 419,400 | 26,600 | 430,080 | 27,100 | 445,480 |
| Asian | 24,700 | 18,560 | 25,000 | 18,690 | 25,600 | 19,780 | 26,700 | 20,470 | 27,200 | 23,190 |
| Black | 26,000 | 10,210 | 26,500 | 9,950 | 26,900 | 10,230 | 27,500 | 10,350 | 28,400 | 11,990 |
| Chinese | 26,600 | 890 | 27,200 | 880 | 27,400 | 910 | 28,600 | 960 | 29,500 | 1,080 |
| Mixed | 26,400 | 4,410 | 27,000 | 4,460 | 27,500 | 4,740 | 28,500 | 4,950 | 29,600 | 6,140 |
| White | 25,000 | 305,550 | 25,600 | 284,140 | 26,000 | 283,740 | 26,800 | 283,300 | 27,200 | 304,850 |
| Other | 27,800 | 2,040 | 28,000 | 1,710 | 28,500 | 1,750 | 29,100 | 1,740 | 30,000 | 1,980 |
| Unknown | 25,000 | 97,620 | 25,200 | 98,510 | 25,500 | 98,250 | 25,900 | 108,310 | 26,500 | 96,260 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service pay By ethnicity over time Summary
The data shows that:
- overall, as at 31 March 2019, the average (median) annual pay for all civil servants was £27,100 – this figure is based on the annual pay of all civil servants, including those whose ethnicity was not known, and includes pay-related allowances such as regional and skills allowances (but not bonuses)
- in 2019, of those with known ethnicity, Asian and White staff had the lowest average annual pay (£27,200), followed by Black staff (£28,400), staff with Chinese ethnicity (£29,500), and staff from the Mixed ethnic group (£29,600), with staff from the Other ethnic group having the highest (£30,000)
- average annual pay has increased for each ethnic group between 2015 and 2019 and the order of ethnic groups by annual pay (highest to lowest) has mostly remained unchanged over this period
3. By ethnicity and grade
| Administrative officers and assistants | Executive officer | Senior and higher executive officer | Grades 6 & 7 | Senior Civil Service Level | Unknown grade | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Administrative officers and assistants Average (mean) annual pay | Administrative officers and assistants Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff | Executive officer Average (mean) annual pay | Executive officer Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff | Senior and higher executive officer Average (mean) annual pay | Senior and higher executive officer Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff | Grades 6 & 7 Average (mean) annual pay | Grades 6 & 7 Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff | Senior Civil Service Level Average (mean) annual pay | Senior Civil Service Level Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff | Unknown grade Average (mean) annual pay | Unknown grade Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff |
| All | 20,200 | N/A* | 25,700 | N/A* | 34,400 | N/A* | 55,000 | N/A* | 81,200 | N/A* | 30,300 | N/A* |
| Asian | 20,400 | £1.01 | 27,000 | £1.05 | 34,400 | £1 | 55,000 | £1 | 87,700 | £1.09 | 30,200 | £1 |
| Black | 22,500 | £1.11 | 27,900 | £1.09 | 34,900 | £1.01 | 55,400 | £1.01 | 84,600 | £1.05 | 27,600 | 91p |
| Chinese | 20,200 | £1 | 26,500 | £1.03 | 35,500 | £1.03 | 55,700 | £1.01 | 90,500 | £1.13 | 30,300 | £1 |
| Mixed | 20,600 | £1.02 | 26,100 | £1.02 | 34,600 | £1.01 | 54,900 | £1 | 77,000 | 96p | 30,200 | £1 |
| White | 20,200 | N/A* | 25,700 | N/A* | 34,400 | N/A* | 55,000 | N/A* | 80,400 | N/A* | 30,300 | N/A* |
| Other | 20,900 | £1.03 | 26,500 | £1.03 | 34,800 | £1.01 | 56,000 | £1.02 | 78,700 | 98p | 30,800 | £1.02 |
| Unknown | 20,200 | £1 | 25,700 | £1 | 34,000 | 99p | 55,000 | £1 | 83,600 | £1.04 | 31,100 | £1.03 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and grade’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and grade’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service pay By ethnicity and grade Summary
The data shows that:
- in 2019, the average (median) annual pay of civil servants – including regional and skills allowances – varied by grade, from £20,200 for administrative officers and assistants (the most junior grade), rising to £81,200 for staff at Senior Civil Service (SCS) Level
- in each grade, White staff and those with Mixed ethnicity had among the lowest average annual pay, and Black and Chinese staff had among the highest of all ethnic groups
- for staff in grades below Senior Civil Service Level, the widest difference in average annual pay was among administrative officers and assistants (the most junior grade) – pay was highest for Black staff (£22,500) and lowest for staff in the Chinese and White ethnic groups (£20,200), a difference of £2,300
- at every grade except Senior Civil Service level, all ethnic minority groups were paid £1 or more for every £1 paid to White staff
- the widest differences in average pay between the ethnic groups were among staff at Senior Civil Service Level (the most senior grades) – Chinese staff were paid £1.13 for every £1 paid to White staff, compared with staff in the Mixed ethnic group who were paid 96p for every £1 paid to White staff
4. By ethnicity and area
| All | Asian | Black | Chinese | Mixed | White | Other | Unknown | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | All Average (mean) annual pay | All Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff | Asian Average (mean) annual pay | Asian Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff | Black Average (mean) annual pay | Black Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff | Chinese Average (mean) annual pay | Chinese Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff | Mixed Average (mean) annual pay | Mixed Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff | White Average (mean) annual pay | White Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff | Other Average (mean) annual pay | Other Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff | Unknown Average (mean) annual pay | Unknown Average pay for every £1 paid to White staff |
| All | 27,100 | N/A* | 27,200 | £1 | 28,400 | £1.04 | 29,500 | £1.04 | 29,600 | £1.09 | 27,200 | N/A* | 30,000 | £1.10 | 26,500 | 97p |
| North East | 24,100 | N/A* | 20,700 | 85p | 20,200 | 83p | 20,000 | 82p | 24,300 | £1 | 24,300 | N/A* | 23,600 | 97p | 20,700 | 85p |
| North West | 25,200 | N/A* | 20,600 | 80p | 22,700 | 88p | 23,800 | 93p | 24,300 | 95p | 25,700 | N/A* | 25,700 | £1 | 23,400 | 91p |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 25,700 | N/A* | 24,300 | 92p | 24,300 | 92p | 22,300 | 84p | 25,700 | 97p | 26,500 | N/A* | 25,900 | 98p | 24,300 | 92p |
| East Midlands | 25,400 | N/A* | 22,200 | 86p | 22,100 | 86p | 25,700 | £1 | 25,700 | £1 | 25,700 | N/A* | 25,700 | £1 | 23,600 | 92p |
| West Midlands | 25,700 | N/A* | 24,200 | 93p | 24,800 | 95p | 25,400 | 97p | 24,700 | 95p | 26,100 | N/A* | 25,200 | 97p | 24,300 | 93p |
| East | 27,000 | N/A* | 24,700 | 91p | 27,100 | £1 | 27,100 | £1 | 27,200 | £1 | 27,100 | N/A* | 27,400 | £1.01 | 26,500 | 98p |
| London | 34,500 | N/A* | 30,300 | 77p | 29,400 | 74p | 34,400 | 87p | 34,100 | 86p | 39,500 | N/A* | 32,200 | 82p | 33,500 | 85p |
| South East | 27,200 | N/A* | 25,700 | 94p | 26,800 | 99p | 27,300 | £1 | 27,200 | £1 | 27,200 | N/A* | 27,000 | 99p | 27,100 | £1 |
| South West | 29,600 | N/A* | 30,000 | £1 | 28,500 | 95p | 30,100 | £1 | 27,800 | 92p | 30,100 | N/A* | 30,300 | £1.01 | 27,100 | 90p |
| Wales | 25,500 | N/A* | 24,300 | 95p | 24,300 | 95p | 25,600 | £1 | 24,800 | 96p | 25,700 | N/A* | 25,700 | £1 | 24,300 | 95p |
| Scotland | 25,700 | N/A* | 24,300 | 93p | 24,600 | 94p | 22,300 | 85p | 26,500 | £1.01 | 26,200 | N/A* | 28,700 | £1.10 | 24,300 | 93p |
| Northern Ireland | 24,300 | N/A* | 20,700 | 85p | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 24,300 | £1 | 24,300 | N/A* | 24,300 | £1 | 23,400 | 96p |
| Unknown | 32,000 | N/A* | 25,700 | 81p | 25,700 | 81p | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 32,400 | £1.02 | 31,700 | N/A* | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 32,800 | £1.03 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and area’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and area’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service pay By ethnicity and area Summary
The data shows that:
- in 2019, the average (median) annual pay of civil servants varied by region, from £24,100 in the North East to £34,500 in London – figures include regional allowances in some areas
- in all regions, White staff had among the highest average annual pay
- in 6 out of 12 regions, Asian staff received the lowest average annual pay out of all ethnic groups for whom ethnicity was known
- for every £1 White staff were paid, Asian staff were paid less than £1 in every region apart from the South West
- staff from the Black and Chinese ethnic groups were also among the lowest paid in almost every region, with the exception of Chinese staff in the East Midlands and the South East, who were the highest paid in these regions
- whilst average annual pay was highest in London for all ethnic groups (ranging from £29,400 for Black staff to £39,500 for White staff), ethnic minority staff were paid on average between 77p and 87p for every £1 that White staff in London were paid
- other than for the Asian ethnic group, average annual pay was lowest in the North East for each ethnic group (for Mixed and White staff, it was joint lowest in the North East and either North West or Northern Ireland) – for Asian staff, the lowest average annual pay was in the North West
5. Methodology
All Civil Service departments are asked for details of employees on their payroll on a certain date in the year (currently 31st March). They are also asked to provide information about staff who left the Civil Service in the last 12 months.
The grade categories, from senior to junior are:
- Senior Civil Service (SCS) Level
- grades 6 and 7
- higher and senior executive officers
- executive officers
- administrative officers and assistants
Government departments use different ways of grading staff - some use numbers, some use pay bands, and others use descriptors (for example, Senior Policy Advisor).
The concept of broad ‘responsibility levels’ is therefore used, in which departmental grades have been assigned to levels which are broadly equivalent in terms of pay and job weight.
There are two measures of the SCS available: The Senior Civil Service and SCS Level. The statistics used here measure SCS level employees which includes a number of health professionals, military personnel and senior diplomats that are not part of The Senior Civil Service. As such the Civil Service Statistics release does not contain the official headline figures used for monitoring diversity, pay and other key measures of The Senior Civil Service.
Headcount statistics are based on the number of employees with an employment contract who are being paid as civil servants. Employees can be permanent, on a fixed-term contract or employed on a casual basis.
Suppression rules and disclosure control
Values based on fewer than 5 responses have not been included in the data, both:
- to protect people’s confidentiality
- because the numbers are too small to draw any reliable conclusions
Rounding
Pay data is rounded to the nearest £100.
Quality and methodology information
6. Data sources
Source
Annual Civil Service Employment Survey 2022
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Cabinet Office
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) measures the number of civil servants and diversity across the workforce.