Pharmacist Salary: A 2025 Guide

If you’re interested in working as a pharmacist, you can potentially earn an above-average salary—£34,963, according to Statista’s 2023 data for the United Kingdom [1]. According to Glassdoor, the median annual salary for this position is £43,171 [2], a significant increase in earning potential. 

Pharmacists, also called dispensing chemists, community pharmacists, or hospital pharmacists, 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. 

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What is the average pharmacist salary?

According to the National Careers Service, the average pharmacist's salary ranges from £37,000 to £61,000 per year [3]. Furthermore, depending on the source, the average or median annual salary that you can expect to earn as a pharmacist is as follows: 

• National Careers Service: £37,000 to 61,000 per year (average) [3] 

• Indeed: £51,061 per year (average) [4] 

• Glassdoor: £43,171 per year (median) [2]

• Talent: £47,708 per year (average) [5]

• Payscale: £39,641 per year (average) [6]

The pay you earn as a pharmacist will likely depend on your experience, the industry in which you work, and your geographic location. Explore these factors to help you better understand what you can expect to earn in this impactful healthcare profession. 

Pharmacist job outlook 

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. 

Pharmacist salary by experience 

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 [2]:

• 0–1 years: £41,521 

• 1–3 years: £43,171

• 4–6 years: £45,180 

• 7–9 years: £46,440 

• 10–14 years: £48,079 

• 15 or more years: £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.

Pharmacist salary by employer 

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. 

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 £35,392, and extend to band 9 (chief pharmacist), where you could earn up to £114,949 per year, depending on where you work within the UK [7]. 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. 

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 £40,000 per year [2]. 

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 £51,658 per year, with a total range of £42,000 to £64,000 per year [8]. When looking at the companies that employ locum pharmacists, Glassdoor reports amongst the highest include Lloyds Pharmacy, Boots, and Well Pharmacy.

Pharmacist salary by location 

Where you live and work can impact how much you can earn as a pharmacist. 

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 [4] :

1. Doncaster: £55,081 per year

2. London: £50,417 per year

3. Coventry: £49,300 per year

4. Colchester: £61,128 per year

5. Godalming: £51,486 per year

6. Blackburn: £49,806 per year

7. Leicester: £51,063 per year

8. Manchester: £50,537 per year 

9. Birmingham: £46,689 per year 

Related jobs and salaries 

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. 

If you’re 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: 

• Toxicologist: £33,918 [9] 

• Pharmaceutical sales representative: £49,054 [10]

• Bioinformatics scientist: £45,296 [11]

• Clinical research scientist: £40,714 [12]

Start exploring healthcare professions 

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 Coursera. 

For example, you could consider enrolling in Imperial College London’s course A Guide to Healthcare Innovation: Principles and Practice, part of the Global Health Innovations Specialisation, available on Coursera. With these options, you can discover more about the types of innovation in healthcare, product development, and commercialisation, as well as how to turn innovation into practice. Enroll today. 

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