According to the BBC’s 2025/2026 pay report, staff from ethnic minority backgrounds earn more than their white colleagues in six out of seven pay scales. In the lowest pay scale, the median pay for staff from Black, Asian, mixed or other minority backgrounds is 13.2 per cent higher than for white staff.
In the highest scale, senior management, the gap is 5.3 per cent in favour of minority groups. In only one scale, Band F, do white employees earn slightly more, with a median pay 0.6 per cent higher.
‘Fair, clear and competitive?’
The figures come from the BBC’s annual report. Having attracted attention in the British media, including The Telegraph, it has sparked a debate about whether the BBC’s diversity and inclusion policies affect pay levels.
Although the pay of minority staff is higher across most individual pay scales, the overall ethnic pay gap remains at 0.7 per cent in favour of white staff. The reason is that a larger proportion of white employees still hold the highest-paid positions – and thus push up the average.
WHAT?! 😳 😡
The BBC’s own pay report shows WHITE staff earn LESS than minority ethnic colleagues in every pay band except one — 13.2 per cent less at the bottom, 5.3 per cent less among senior leaders. 😮
Top LGBTQ+ staff earn 8.8% MORE than non-LGBTQ+ colleagues?! 🏳️⚧️Licence-fee payers are… pic.twitter.com/Vj2DmLQVdI
— Donna-Louise (@NoLongerTheFuzz) 7 October 2026
The BBC emphasises that pay should be ‘fair, clear and competitive’, and that it does not operate a quota system. Former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale nevertheless believes that the figures raise questions as to whether pay is sufficiently based on qualifications and ability alone.
The report also highlights other ‘reverse’ gaps: women in senior management earn, on average, slightly more than men, and certain groups – people with disabilities, gay men, and the LGBTQ+ community – have higher pay levels.
