U.S. physicians earned an average of $386,000 in 2025, according to Medscape’s April 10 “Physician Compensation Report. Pay for physicians in the U.K. averaged 114,397 pounds, or about $151,000, according to Medscape’s “UK Doctors Pay Report 2026.” At that rate, U.S. physicians earn about 2.5 times as much as U.K. physicians.
U.K. physicians were also much more likely to say they were paid unfairly. Seventy percent said that is the case, compared with 47% of U.S. physicians.
For the U.S. report, Medscape surveyed 5,916 full-time physicians across 29 specialties between Sept. 5 and Dec. 17, 2025. The U.K. report is based on an online survey of 525 practicing U.K. physicians, fielded March 6 to July 1, 2026. Of the U.K. respondents, 82% practiced in England, 8% in Scotland, 7% in Wales, 2% in Northern Ireland and 1% elsewhere in the U.K. or British Isles.
U.S. figures below are converted at 1 British pound being equal to 1.3214 dollars, exchange rate as of Sept. 24.
Here are five things to know about how the countries compare:
1. The primary care pay gap is wider in the U.S. U.S. primary care physicians averaged $298,000, which is $119,000 less than the $417,000 specialists averaged. That puts PCPs at 71% of specialist pay. In the U.K., general practitioners averaged about $138,000 and specialists averaged about $154,000. That is a gap of about $16,000, so U.K. GPs earned about 90% of what specialists earned.
2. More U.K. physicians saw their pay fall. Twenty percent of U.K. respondents said their earnings went down: 10% by 1% to 10%, 7% by 11% to 25%, and 3% by more than 25%. In the U.S., 17% of physicians said their 2025 total compensation was lower than 2024’s. Medscape reported that U.K. GPs were the group most likely to see a decrease.
3. Most raises were small in both countries. Forty-eight percent of U.K. physicians got a raise, and 42% of all respondents said it was between 1% and 10%. In the U.S., 42% of physicians reported higher pay, and 30% said the increase was between 1% and 10%. U.S. physicians were more likely to report no change in pay, at 42%, compared with 32% of U.K. physicians.
4. Views on fair pay differ by country. Fifty-three percent of U.S. physicians said they were fairly paid. That included 53% of specialists and 50% of PCPs. Separately, 61% of U.S. physicians said the profession as a whole is underpaid, 34% said it’s paid about right and 5% said it’s overpaid. In the U.K., 30% said they were fairly paid.
5. U.K. pay varies by age and gender. Pay for U.K. physicians 45 and older averaged about $161,000. Those younger than 45 averaged about $115,000. Men averaged about $158,000 and women averaged about $132,000, which means women earned about 83% of what men earned in the country.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.
