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- 1. Navigate to Main facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toPercentage of civil service staff by ethnicity section
- 3. Navigate toPercentage of staff by ethnicity and region section
- 4. Navigate toPercentage of staff by ethnicity and gender section
- 5. Navigate toPercentage of staff by ethnicity and age section
- 6. Navigate toPercentage of staff by ethnicity and grade section
- 7. Navigate toMedian pay by ethnicity and grade section
- 8. Navigate toMedian pay by ethnicity and region section
- 9. Navigate to Methodology section
- 10. Navigate to Data sources section
- 11. Navigate to Download the data section
1. Main facts and figures
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as at 31 March 2016, 88.8% of civil servants were White, 5.8% were Asian, 3.1% were Black, 1.4% were Mixed, 0.3% were Chinese, and 0.5% were from the Other ethnic group - by comparison, 86% of the population of England and Wales described themselves as White in the 2011 Census
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Asian staff made up 3.5% of civil servants on the highest grade (Senior Civil Service), compared to 6.5% of those on the lowest grade (administrative officers and assistants)
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London had the highest percentage of staff that were Asian (16.3%), Black (11.8%), Mixed (3.0%), Chinese (0.7%) and from the Other ethnic group (1.2%), compared to all other regions in the UK
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male civil servants are more likely to be White (90.1%) than female civil servants (87.8%)
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Asian staff had the lowest median salary (£25,000), and were the only ethnic minority group (other than White minorities) to earn less than the median salary for all groups together (£25,400)
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15.8% of staff aged 20 to 29 years were from ethnic minorities (other than White minorities), compared to 7.4% of those aged 60 to 64 years
Things you need to know
24% of civil servants didn’t report their ethnicity and weren’t included in the data.
The Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (the source of 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 doesn’t include people not on the payroll or not being paid during the time period covered, for example staff taking unpaid leave or contractors.
Senior civil servants:
There are two types of senior civil servants - those with a grade of ‘Senior Civil Service level’ (or ‘SCS Level’), and those working for the Senior Civil Service.
This data measures SCS Level employees, which includes a number of health professionals, military personnel and senior diplomats who aren’t part of the Senior Civil Service.
As a result, these statistics may be different to those used for monitoring diversity of the Senior Civil Service
What the data measures
This data measures the percentage of people from different ethnic groups working for the Civil Service in the UK as at 31 March 2016. It also analyses this information by seniority, salary, gender and region.
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 2016, the total Civil Service workforce was 418,343 (316,792 full-time staff and 101,551 part-time).
The data includes the actual number of staff employed by the Civil Service (known as ‘headcount’) regardless of whether they’re full-time or part-time staff.
Data on salaries has been calculated using each civil servant’s full-time equivalent (FTE) salary. For example, if someone works 2.5 days per week and earns £12,000, their FTE salary is £24,000.
The median salary is the middle salary in a range that has been ordered by size from lowest to highest.
The ethnic categories used in this data
This data is broken down into the following 6 broad groups:
- Asian/Asian British
- Black/African/Caribbean/Black British
- Chinese/Chinese British
- Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups
- White
- Other ethnic group
- Unknown
These were chosen because the number of people becomes too small to be reliable when broken down both by ethnicity (in detailed categories) and by another factor like age group. Data is therefore grouped to a size where estimates become reliable.
2. Percentage of civil service staff by ethnicity
| Ethnicity | % |
|---|---|
| Asian | 5.8 |
| Black | 3.1 |
| Chinese | 0.3 |
| Mixed | 1.4 |
| White | 88.8 |
| Other | 0.5 |
Download table data for ‘Percentage of civil service staff by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Percentage of civil service staff by ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service Workforce Percentage of civil service staff by ethnicity Summary
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as at March 2016, 88.8% of civil servants were White
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Asian staff represented 5.8% of civil servants
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Chinese staff were the smallest group, accounting for 0.3% of civil servants
3. Percentage of staff by ethnicity and region
| Region | Asian | Black | Chinese | Mixed | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Value | Value | Value | Value | Value | |
| All Regions | 5.8 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 88.8 | 0.5 |
| North East | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 97.8 | 0.2 |
| North West | 3.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 94.3 | 0.3 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 5.4 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 91.8 | 0.4 |
| East Midlands | 8.2 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 88.2 | 0.3 |
| West Midlands | 11.8 | 3.8 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 82.4 | 0.5 |
| East | 4.6 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 90.9 | 0.6 |
| London | 16.3 | 11.8 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 67.0 | 1.2 |
| South East | 3.1 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 93.6 | 0.5 |
| South West | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 96.4 | 0.4 |
| Wales | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 97.5 | 0.3 |
| Scotland | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 97.9 | 0.2 |
| Northern Ireland | 0.3 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 0.3 | 99.3 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Download table data for ‘Percentage of staff by ethnicity and region’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Percentage of staff by ethnicity and region’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service Workforce Percentage of staff by ethnicity and region Summary
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London had the highest percentage of staff who were Asian (16.3%), Black (11.8%), Mixed (3.0%), Chinese (0.7%) and from the Other ethnic group (1.2%), compared to all other regions in the UK - by comparison, 18.5% of the London population at the 2011 Census described themselves as Asian, 13.3% Black, 5.0% Mixed, and 3.4% from the Other ethnic group
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Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland typically had the lowest percentage of staff from ethnic minorities (other than White minorities)
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the North East was the English region with the lowest percentage of staff who were Asian (0.9%), Black (0.3%) and Mixed (0.6%), while in 2011, 95.3% of the population of the North East was White and 4.7% was from Other ethnic groups.
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the percentage of Asian civil servants was highest in London (16.3%), the West Midlands (11.8%) and the East Midlands (8.2%)
4. Percentage of staff by ethnicity and gender
| Ethnicity | All | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian | 5.8 | 5.3 | 6.3 |
| Black | 3.1 | 2.4 | 3.7 |
| Chinese | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Mixed | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| White | 88.8 | 90.1 | 87.8 |
| Other | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
Download table data for ‘Percentage of staff by ethnicity and gender’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Percentage of staff by ethnicity and gender’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service Workforce Percentage of staff by ethnicity and gender Summary
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as at 31 March 2016, 9 out of 10 male civil servants were White
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the percentage of female staff was higher than males for Black staff (3.7% female, 2.4% male), Asian (6.3% female, 5.3% male) and Mixed (1.5% female, 1.3% male)
5. Percentage of staff by ethnicity and age
| Age | Asian | Black | Chinese | Mixed | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Ages | 5.8 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 88.8 | 0.5 |
| Aged 16-19 | 7.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.9 | 89.9 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Aged 20-29 | 9.5 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 84.2 | 0.5 |
| Aged 30-39 | 8.5 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 85.9 | 0.6 |
| Aged 40-49 | 5.9 | 3.7 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 88.4 | 0.5 |
| Aged 50-59 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 91.4 | 0.5 |
| Aged 60-64 | 4.0 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 92.5 | 0.6 |
| Aged 65 & Over | 6.7 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 89.7 | 0.7 |
Download table data for ‘Percentage of staff by ethnicity and age’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Percentage of staff by ethnicity and age’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service Workforce Percentage of staff by ethnicity and age Summary
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92.5% of staff aged 60 to 64 years were White (the highest percentage of White staff in any age group) - by comparison, 84.2% of staff aged 20 to 29 years were White (the lowest percentage of White staff in any age group)
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the age group with the highest percentage of Asian staff was 20 to 29 years (9.5%)
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the age group with the highest percentage of Black staff was 40 to 49 years (3.7%)
6. Percentage of staff by ethnicity and grade
| Grade | Asian | Black | Chinese | Mixed | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative officers and assistants | 6.5 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 88.3 | 0.5 |
| Executive officer | 6.8 | 3.8 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 87.2 | 0.5 |
| Senior and higher executive officer | 4.9 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 90.1 | 0.5 |
| Grades 6 & 7 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 91.8 | 0.7 |
| Senior Civil Service | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 93.1 | 0.5 |
Download table data for ‘Percentage of staff by ethnicity and grade’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Percentage of staff by ethnicity and grade’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service Workforce Percentage of staff by ethnicity and grade Summary
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the percentage of Asian and Black staff at more senior grades was lower than at junior grades - 3.4% and 1.3% respectively at Senior Civil Service grade (the highest grade), compared to 6.5% and 3.3% respectively of administrative officers and assistants (the most junior grade)
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the executive officer grade (the second most junior grade) had the highest percentage of both Asian staff (6.8%) and Black staff (3.8%)
7. Median pay by ethnicity and grade
| Grade | All Groups | Asian | Black | Chinese | Mixed | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| All Grades | 25,400 | 25,000 | 26,500 | 27,200 | 27,000 | 25,600 | 28,000 |
| Administrative officers and assistants | 19,500 | 20,100 | 22,200 | 19,600 | 19,900 | 19,500 | 20,600 |
| Executive officer | 25,200 | 26,400 | 26,800 | 26,100 | 25,500 | 25,200 | 26,000 |
| Senior and higher executive officer | 33,800 | 33,900 | 34,400 | 35,300 | 34,300 | 33,700 | 35,100 |
| Grades 6 & 7 | 54,500 | 54,500 | 55,300 | 53,700 | 55,000 | 54,500 | 55,400 |
| Senior Civil Service | 80,600 | 88,500 | 88,700 | 90,600 | 76,600 | 80,600 | 89,100 |
Download table data for ‘Median pay by ethnicity and grade’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Median pay by ethnicity and grade’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service Workforce Median pay by ethnicity and grade Summary
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as at 31 March 2016, the median pay for civil servants from all ethnic groups (including White) was £25,400
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median pay was lowest for Asian staff (£25,000) and highest for staff from the Other ethnic group (£28,000)
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White staff had the lowest median pay at the 3 lowest grades (administrative officers and assistants, executive officers, and senior and higher executive officers) - this might be because a lower percentage of White staff work in London, where pay rates are higher
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median pay at Senior Civil Service level was highest for Chinese staff (£90,600) and lowest for staff with Mixed ethnicity (£76,600)
8. Median pay by ethnicity and region
| Region | All Groups | Asian | Black | Chinese | Mixed | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| All Regions | 25,400 | 25,000 | 26,500 | 27,200 | 27,000 | 25,600 | 28,000 |
| North East | 20,190 | 20,100 | 19,800 | 19,800 | 21,600 | 22,200 | 22,800 |
| North West | 23,200 | 19,800 | 20,200 | 20,200 | 22,400 | 23,500 | 23,500 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 24,700 | 20,300 | 23,200 | 23,200 | 23,400 | 25,200 | 28,100 |
| East Midlands | 24,000 | 19,800 | 21,100 | 22,300 | 22,400 | 24,400 | 23,900 |
| West Midlands | 24,200 | 20,300 | 22,400 | 23,800 | 22,400 | 25,000 | 24,400 |
| East | 25,300 | 23,200 | 25,900 | 30,800 | 25,500 | 25,900 | 27,000 |
| London | 33,000 | 27,800 | 27,300 | 31,700 | 31,200 | 36,700 | 30,400 |
| South East | 26,200 | 24,200 | 24,400 | 24,000 | 25,700 | 26,400 | 26,100 |
| South West | 28,300 | 28,000 | 25,100 | 30,400 | 29,200 | 29,200 | 30,000 |
| Wales | 23,600 | 22,200 | 21,700 | 23,400 | 23,500 | 24,300 | 22,200 |
| Scotland | 23,500 | 20,400 | 18,600 | 20,200 | 24,800 | 24,400 | 25,200 |
| Northern Ireland | 23,200 | 26,600 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 23,600 | 23,200 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Download table data for ‘Median pay by ethnicity and region’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Median pay by ethnicity and region’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service Workforce Median pay by ethnicity and region Summary
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White staff had the highest median salaries in all English regions except the South West and the East - this is probably due to a higher percentage of staff in senior grades being White
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in almost all cases, median salaries for different ethnic groups were highest in London - this is likely to be due to both ‘London weighting’ and the concentration of specialist and senior civil servants who tend to receive higher salaries
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median salaries for most ethnic groups were lowest in the North East
9. Methodology
All Civil Service departments are asked for details of all their employees on the payroll on a certain date in the year (currently 31st March). They are are also asked to provide leavers in the last 12 months. All Civil Service employees are included, so no weighting is required (further information provided in the QMI, see link below).
The grade categories, from senior to junior are:
- Senior Civil Service (SCS)
- 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.
Headcount statistics are based on the number of employees with an employment contract who are being paid by a Civil Service department. Employees can be permanent, on a fixed-term contract or employed on a casual basis.
The self-employed, contract workers and agency workers are excluded. Employees not on the payroll and not being paid as at 31 March 2016 are also excluded, for example, those on unpaid maternity leave, unpaid sick absence and career breaks.
Median gross salary includes basic pay (including consolidated performance pay) and pay-related allowances such as regional and skills allowances. It does not include bonuses.
Suppression rules and disclosure control
Any values based on fewer than 5 responses have been suppressed for confidentiality reasons.
Rounding
Total staff numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Pay data is rounded to the nearest £100.
Quality and methodology information
10. Data sources
Source
Annual Civil Service Employment Survey, 2016
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Office for National Statistics
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) is carried out to measure the numbers employed in the Civil Service, and to measure diversity across the workforce.
11. Download the data
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, gender, geography, age group, median pay, grade