UK Gender Pay Gap by Sector
Data from gender pay gap reporting covering 30,166 UK employers with 250 or more employees. Explore sector-by-sector breakdowns and understand your reporting obligations.
14.3%
National median pay gap
28.4%
Highest sector: Finance
4.6%
Lowest sector: Public
30,166
Reporting employers
Key findings
Biggest gap
Finance and insurance
Median gap: 28.4%. Mean gap: 31.2%.
Smallest gap
Public administration
Median gap: 4.6%. Driven by workforce composition and pay structures.
Reporting deadline
April 4 (private sector)
Employers with 250+ employees must report annually. Non-compliance enforced by EHRC.
Sectors ranked by median pay gap
Median gender pay gap by sector (worst to best). Colour indicates severity.
Employer data
Toggle between highest and smallest pay gaps. Search by name or sector.
| Employer | Sector | Median gap | Mean gap | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Investment Bank A | Finance and insurance | 48.2% | 52.1% | 5000+ |
| Construction Group B | Construction | 44.8% | 47.3% | 1000-4999 |
| Engineering Firm C | Manufacturing | 42.1% | 45.6% | 1000-4999 |
| Tech Company D | Information and communication | 39.4% | 43.2% | 5000+ |
| Asset Manager E | Finance and insurance | 37.8% | 41.4% | 250-999 |
What this means for employers
1Who has to report
UK employers with 250 or more employees must calculate and publish their gender pay gap annually. This includes part-time workers and some agency workers. The count is taken on a snapshot date: April 5 for private and voluntary sector employers.
2What you must publish
Six figures are required: mean and median hourly pay gap, mean and median bonus gap, proportion of men and women receiving a bonus, and the pay quartile distribution. You must publish on your own website and the government's reporting portal.
3Consequences of non-compliance
The Equality and Human Rights Commission can investigate and prosecute employers who fail to report. There is currently no fixed financial penalty, but EHRC enforcement action is public and reputationally damaging. The government has consulted on introducing direct fines.
4The gap is not the same as unequal pay
Gender pay gap reporting measures the difference in average pay between all men and all women in your organisation. It is not the same as paying men and women differently for the same work, which remains unlawful under the Equality Act 2010. You can have a pay gap and still be compliant, but a large gap may trigger questions.
Is your pay reporting compliant?
Gender pay gap obligations are just one part of the compliance picture. Get a full review of your employment contracts and policies for 14.3% of what a solicitor would charge.
Run your compliance auditMethodology and sources
Sector-level data is based on ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) and the EHRC gender pay gap reporting service. Employer-level data is illustrative and based on published reports. The median pay gap is generally considered the more reliable measure, as it is less affected by outliers. Last updated: 2025-12-31.
Sources: Gender Pay Gap Service (gov.uk) | ONS ASHE