Equality duties: pay gap report 2026

Pay gap information

Who is included in the analysis

The Scottish Government has three groups of staff, each with separate sets of remuneration arrangements. The three staff groups are:

• Scottish Government Main (SGM)
• Scottish Government Marine Seafarers (SGMarine)
• Senior Civil Service (SCS)

The SGM bargaining unit covers Core Scottish Government Directorates and a number of other bodies. The make-up of the SGM bargaining unit is provided in the SGM bargaining unit composition section. Across SGM, staff share common terms and conditions of employment and fall within a single pay and grading system.

The Scottish Government has delegated authority from the UK Government to determine the pay, and terms and conditions for all staff below SCS. The terms and conditions, including pay, for SCS are set by the UK Government. While the members of the SCS are Scottish Government staff, their pay is determined and managed in line with the UK Cabinet Office pay and performance management framework. Scottish Government aims to ensure that there are coherent pay arrangements between all our grades and that the principle of equal pay for work of equal value is delivered.

How we calculate pay gaps

The Scottish Government pay gap analysis calculates the difference between average full-time equivalent earnings for specified groups. These calculations compare earnings for groups where protected characteristics have been declared. We show both mean and median pay and pay gaps.

The mean is calculated by adding all the values together and dividing this by the number of people included. This is the Scottish Government preferred method because it includes all staff in the analysis. However, the mean can be affected by a relatively small number of higher-paid roles. Nevertheless, it's more stable year-on-year and allows for better comparison over time, despite the ability to be affected by higher-paid roles.

The median is the middle value in a list of numbers when they are put in order from lowest to highest. This means that half of the staff included in the analysis earn less than this amount and half earn more. The median is less affected by a relatively small number of very high earners and any skewed distribution of earnings. The median pay gap can be higher than the mean pay gap, which reflects that new staff to the grade normally start at the bottom of the pay range and move up one pay step each year until they reach the top for their grade. This means, the median salary can change more from year to year depending on which step the ‘middle’ person is on. As there is a higher proportion of female staff at lower pay grades than higher pay grades, it is more likely that the median female salary will fall on a lower pay step than the median male salary. The size of the median pay gap reflects the difference between these pay steps.

The data this report refers to is contained in a separate Official Statistics publication covering diversity and inclusion in the Scottish Government workforce. A full breakdown of workforce composition and pay gap information is provided. 

Gender

As at 31 December 2025 the mean pay gap between female and male staff was 2.80%. This means that, on average, female staff earned 2.80% less than male staff across the Scottish Government. The median pay gap between female and male staff was 5.81%.

Since 31st December 2024, the mean gender pay gap has reduced slightly from 2.82% to 2.80% in favour of male staff. The median gender pay gap has reduced from 6.31%.

There has been a steady decline in the mean gender pay gap decreasing from 4.14% in 2016 to 2.80% in 2025. This compares favourably with wider labour market and sector trends. The Scottish Government’s mean gender pay gap of 2.80% is below the average mean pay gap reported by UK employers in the Office for National Statistics’ 2025 data. Data on other organisations can be found in the gender pay gap data on GOV.UK.

The Scottish Government seeks to ensure that all policies that support the employment of staff are free from bias and that work of equal value attracts equal pay. Within the Scottish Government (SGM and SGMarine) where men and women are undertaking work of equal value (i.e. within the same pay range) they are paid a similar rate and consequently the pay gap is low.

The overall mean gender pay gap is influenced by the distribution of staff across grades. The reason for an overall mean pay gap of 2.80% is that despite the increased proportions of women at senior grades, overall there are still more women in lower pay ranges which lowers the overall average hourly rate for female staff across the whole of the Scottish Government. While the gap has reduced over the longer term, this pattern shows that continued attention to representation and progression remains important. Table 2 in the Occupational segregation section summarises the female – male workforce composition by pay band.

Chart A shows the Scottish Government's gender pay gap from 2016 to 2025. The figures were previously reported every two years in the equality mainstreaming reports. Since the Equality Duties: Pay Gap Report 2025, which was based on data as at 31 December 2024, the figures are published annually. Chart A shows that the mean gender pay gap has gradually reduced over the longer term.

Working Pattern

As at 31 December 2025 the mean pay gap between part-time female and full-time male staff was 1.83%. This means that, on average, part-time female staff earned 1.83% less than full-time male staff across the Scottish Government. The median pay gap between part-time female and full-time male staff was 4.87%.

Since 31st December 2024, the mean working pattern pay gap has increased slightly from 1.11% to 1.83% in favour of full-time male staff.

Chart B shows the Scottish Government's working pattern pay gap from 2016 to 2025. The figures were previously reported every two years in the equality mainstreaming reports. Since the Equality Duties: Pay Gap Report 2025, which was based on data as at 31 December 2024, the figures are published annually. Chart B shows that the mean working pattern pay gap has increased since 31st December 2022. We will continue to monitor this and undertake further analysis to understand whether this reflects workforce movement, recruitment patterns or other factors.

Ethnicity

As at 31 December 2025 the mean pay gap between those staff self-declared as an ethnic minority and those staff self-declared as white was 11.07%. This means that, on average, those staff self-declared as an ethnic minority earned 11.07% less than those staff self-declared as white across the Scottish Government. The median pay gap was 9.29%.

This analysis includes only those who have self-declared their ethnicity. Out of a total of 16,586 staff, there are 3,416 whose ethnicity is unknown.

Since 31 December 2024, the mean ethnicity pay gap has increased from 8.20% to 11.07% in favour of staff who have declared themselves as white.

The workforce profile has changed over the reporting period. Minority ethnic staff remain under-represented overall, but the number of minority ethnic staff has increased across all A to C grades. This increase has been proportionately higher than for white staff, particularly in lower grades. Although the numbers for both minority ethnic and white staff have increased in lower grades, the increase has been substantially greater among minority ethnic staff. This reflects both new recruitment and more existing staff declaring their ethnicity. As a result, the recorded profile of minority ethnic staff has changed with more staff recorded in lower grades. This has contributed to the increase of the overall ethnicity pay gap. The increase shows that continued focus is needed on representation, inclusion and progression across the organisation.

Table 3 in the Occupational segregation section summarises the ethnic minority – white workforce composition by pay band.

Chart C shows the Scottish Government's ethnicity pay gap from 2016 to 2025. The figures were previously reported every two years in the equality mainstreaming reports. Since the Equality Duties: Pay Gap Report 2025, which was based on data as at 31 December 2024, the figures are published annually. Chart C shows that the mean ethnicity pay gap has fluctuated over the years with increases and decreases between reporting years. However, the longer-term trend shows an overall increase since 2016. The gap has also increased in the latest reporting year, from 8.20% in 2024 to 11.07% in 2025. This underlines the need to continue monitoring the gap and taking action to support representation, inclusion and progression.

Disability

As at 31 December 2025 the mean pay gap between those staff self-declared as disabled, and those staff self-declared as non-disabled was 7.70%. This means that, on average, those staff self-declared as disabled earned 7.70% less than those staff self-declared as non-disabled across the Scottish Government. The median pay gap was 10.22%.

This analysis includes only those who have declared themselves as disabled or not disabled. Out of a total of 16,586 staff, there are 4,567 whose disability status is unknown.

Since 31 December 2024, the mean disability pay gap has decreased from was 9.22% to 7.70% in favour of staff declared as not disabled. This is a positive change and shows that the average pay difference between disabled and non-disabled staff has narrowed. The reduction is partly linked to changes in the workforce profile over the reporting period. The number of disabled staff increased across all grades. However, there was a larger increase in non-disabled staff in lower-paid grades. This changed the overall distribution of staff and contributed to the reduction in the disability pay gap.

However, the disability pay gap remains significant. Disabled staff are still more likely to be in lower pay ranges. This lowers the average hourly pay for disabled staff across the Scottish Government and contributes to the disability mean pay gap of 7.70%. Further work is needed to understand and address the barriers that may affect representation and progression for disabled staff. Table 4 in the Occupational segregation section summarises the disabled – non-disabled workforce composition by pay band.

Chart D shows the Scottish Government's disability pay gap, covering data from 2016 to 2025. The figures were previously reported every two years in the equality mainstreaming reports. Since the Equality Duties: Pay Gap Report 2025, which was based on data as at 31 December 2024, the figures are published annually. Chart D shows that the disability pay gap has generally reduced over time. While there have been some changes between individual reporting years, the longer-term trend shows a steady improvement. The gap is now significantly lower than it was in 2018 and has reduced again since 31st December 2024. This is welcome progress, but the remaining gap shows that continued focus is needed on the factors affecting representation, inclusion and progression for disabled staff.