Aberdeen had UK’s lowest wage growth over past seven years
Aberdeen had the slowest increase in wages in the UK from 2014, new research can reveal.
Wages in Aberdeen grew 3% in seven years, which is almost eight times slower than the UK’s average increase of 24%.
The study, by money transfer experts Xendpay, used ONS data to compare monthly wages from July 2014 to May 2021 across the whole of the UK.
In contrast to Aberdeen, the London boroughs of Hackney and Newham saw the highest spike in wages in the whole country. At 45%, the increase was almost double the national average, and well above the London average of 32%.
After Aberdeen, the area with the second lowest wage increase was the Shetland Islands in Scotland, where salaries grew just 12%, half the UK’s mean increase.
The Outer Hebrides came in third, with a wage increase of just 13% in seven years.
The borough of Mid and East Antrim in Northern Ireland also had one of the UK’s slowest salary increases, with a rise of 14% since 2014.
Scotland itself saw the lowest salary increases of all the UK’s countries, at just 17%, compared to 24% in England, 23% in Wales and 20% in Northern Ireland.
UK areas with the smallest wage increases over the past seven years
| Areas | % of wage increase |
| Aberdeen | 3% |
| Shetland Islands | 12% |
| Outer Hebrides (Na h-Eilenan Siar) | 13% |
| Caithness and Sutherland | 14% |
| Ross and Cromarty | 14% |
| Mid and East Antrim | 14% |
| Angus and Dundee City | 15% |
| Clackmannanshire and Fife | 15% |
| Orkney Islands | 15% |
| South Teesside | 15% |
The areas with the highest salary increases were all based in London. The boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea, and Hammersmith & Fulham saw a hike of 40% – the second biggest in the whole of the UK, after Hackney and Newham.
Several boroughs shared the third most increased wages, with Camden and City of London, and Lewisham and Southwark all growing 39% between 2014 and 2021.
UK areas with the biggest wage increases over the past seven years
| Areas | % of wage increase |
| Hackney and Newham | 45% |
| Kensington & Chelsea | 40% |
| Hammersmith & Fulham | 40% |
| Haringey and Islington | 40% |
| Camden and City of London | 39% |
| Lewisham and Southwark | 39% |
| Lambeth | 35% |
| Westminster | 34% |
| Wandsworth | 34% |
| Tower Hamlets | 33% |
Commenting on the study, a spokesperson for Xendpay said: “It’s fascinating to see such discrepancies in wage growth across the UK, especially over a period as long as seven years. While many will be focused on wage increase or decrease over the past year, it’s important to step back and take a wider view of things and assess the trends over a longer term.”
