Official pay data
Updated 12 October 2026
Salary guide
Official annual estimates for the whole country, mapped to the closest published occupation.
United Kingdom · gross annual earnings estimate
25th percentile
£67,335
Median
£92,847
75th percentile
£136,100
This ASHE benchmark covers full-time employee jobs, not self-employed income or part-time jobs. ASHE gross earnings include basic pay, overtime, incentive pay such as bonuses and commissions, shift premiums, and other cash pay. They are before deductions, exclude payments in kind, and are not take-home pay or the whole benefits package. Compare the benchmark with an offer on the same working-hours and annual-pay basis.
This is a country-level occupation benchmark, not a local offer estimate. Pay can differ by location, employer, duties, and working pattern.
Source: ONS, 2025-04-30. Mapped to Specialist medical practitioners; the occupation is broader than the page role. Figures are estimates, not advertised salaries.
Neurosurgery fits the broad Specialist medical practitioners benchmark because it is a surgical specialty concerned with the nervous system. The benchmark is useful for comparing a full-time employee offer, but it covers the wider occupation rather than a separate estimate for every neurosurgical post or subspecialty. For comparison with generalist medical practice, see the [GP salary guide](/uk/salaries/gp).
Benchmark fit
The benchmark maps to Specialist medical practitioners, a broad occupation that includes the specialist context relevant to neurosurgery. Use it as a national comparison point for a neurosurgeon employment offer, not as an exact price for a particular post.
Do not treat this broad occupational figure as a separate benchmark for a particular neurosurgical subspecialty, employer, duty mix or working pattern.
Role scope
A neurosurgeon assesses, diagnoses and treats disorders affecting the nervous system, with operative work that includes the brain, spinal cord and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.
Assess and examine patients to decide whether surgery is necessary. · Perform surgery on the brain and spinal cord. · Provide operative and non-operative management, which can include diagnosis, treatment, critical care and rehabilitation. · For chronic back pain, conservative care may be recommended before surgery when clinically appropriate.
Clinical decisions on whether surgery is necessary and treatment for nervous-system conditions.
This is a surgical specialty within the UK profile; its stated scope includes the nervous system, brain, spinal cord and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.
Read the range
When comparing an offer with the benchmark, judge the role by its actual scope: assessment of whether surgery is needed, surgery on the brain or spinal cord, and, where relevant, non-operative management of neurological disorders.
One quarter of employees earn below this figure.
Half of employees earn below this figure and half above it; it is not the arithmetic midpoint of the displayed range.
One quarter of employees earn above this figure.
Location
Supplementary regional benchmarks are available alongside the national comparison.
| Region | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | Not published | £87,119 | Not published |
| North West | Not published | £87,119 | Not published |
| Scotland | Not published | £121,827 | Not published |
| South East | Not published | £80,165 | Not published |
| South West | Not published | £98,216 | Not published |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Not published | £82,545 | Not published |
The national benchmark is not a local offer estimate; location, employer, duties and working pattern can differ.
Beyond salary
Compare the offer on the same annual pay and working-hours basis, then separate guaranteed pay from cash that depends on overtime, incentives or shift arrangements. Check benefits on their own terms rather than folding them into salary.
Ask which part of the stated annual amount is basic pay and whether it is fixed by the offer.
Ask whether overtime, bonuses, commissions, shift premiums or other cash payments are included, and what conditions govern them.
Check the offered pension, health cover, leave and any other benefits separately, because payments in kind are outside gross earnings.
Offer review
Questions
Source
Source: ONS, 2025-04-30. The figures cover Specialist medical practitioners (2212) and full time employee jobs. Updated 12 October 2026. This broad occupation benchmark may not match every Neurosurgeon vacancy.
Put the benchmark to work
Use the salary range as context. Tailor your CV around the experience that supports your target level.
