Doctors suffer largest real-terms pay fall since 2005, analysis finds
Doctors’ median pay rose from £76,873 in 2005 to £78,796 in 2025, but fell by 42.2% after inflation.
Doctors recorded the largest real-terms pay fall of any profession between 2005 and 2025, research from Knowledge Train found.
Doctors’ median pay rose from £76,873 in 2005 to £78,796 in 2025, but fell by 42.2% after inflation.
Legal professionals recorded the second-largest fall at 39.1%, followed by public services associate professionals at 31.3%.
Health associate professionals saw a 30.9% decline, while insurance underwriters and brokers recorded falls of 30.6% and 30.5% respectively.
Overall, 104 of the 158 jobs analysed paid less in real terms than in 2005.
Hairdressers and barbers recorded the largest real-terms increase.
Their median pay rose from £10,177 to £24,279, an inflation-adjusted gain of 34.6%.
Retail cashiers and checkout operators followed with a 29.4% rise, while leisure and theme park attendants recorded a 25.5% increase.
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