Midwives play a very important role in labor and delivery. They earn a similar salary in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand at $60,197, C$61,445 ($46,480), and respectively NZ$62,891 ($45,624). The midwife salary in South Africa is R237,931 ($18,583), while in the United Kingdom is £24,948 ($27,935).
This midwife career guide reviews salary ranges, the midwife industry, the impact of experience, and their job benefits beyond salary. Also included are a typical working schedule and the job outlook.
How Much Does a Midwife Make per Year by Country?
| Midwife Salary | US | Canada | UK | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa |
| Hourly Pay | $25.08 | C$29.54* ($22.35) | £14.83 ($16.61) | AU$30.82 ($23.49) | NZ$30.20 ($21.91) | Rs 500.00 ($7.76) | R114.38* ($8.93) |
| Annual Pay | $60,197 | C$61,445 ($46,480) | £24,948 ($27,935) | AU$50,476 ($38,670) | NZ$62,891 ($45,624) | Rs 235,050 ($3,646) | R237,931 ($18,583) |
Pay information denoted with a (*) indicates the hourly pay was correlated from the annual salary.
Midwife Salary Influencing Factors
There are midwives and nurse midwives. In the United States, nurse midwives are allowed to participate in all 50 states and midwives in 5 states. The salaries included here are of nurse midwives. All of the pay information comes from Payscale.
1. Location
How Much Does a Midwife Make in the US?
| Midwife Salary US | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | $28,187 | $12.25 |
| Maximum | $111,792 | $49.00 |
| Bonus/Tip | $5,106 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional Pay | $5.00 |
| Total Pay | $26,866 to $108,304 |
How Much Does a Midwife Make in Canada?
| Midwife Salary Canada | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | C$43,278 | C$20.80* |
| Maximum | C$92,317 | C$44.38* |
| Bonus/Tips | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | C$48,177 to C$91,556 |
How Much Does a Midwife make in the UK?
| Midwife Salary UK | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | £19,531 | £10.85 |
| Maximum | £34,580 | £25.17 |
| Bonus/Tip | £4,932 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | £17.50 |
| Total Pay | £19,683 to £34,883 |
How Much Does a Midwife Make in Australia?
| Midwife Salary Australia | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | AU$31,492 | AU$25.52 |
| Maximum | AU$76,008 | AU$43.99 |
| Bonus/Tip | AU$7,122 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | AU$18.00 |
| Total Pay | AU$39,271 to AU$83,540 |
How Much Does a Midwife make in New Zealand?
| Midwife Salary New Zealand | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | NZ$29,676 | NZ$25.18 |
| Maximum | NZ$72,240 | NZ$38.78 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | NZ$40.00 |
| Total Pay | NZ$47,957 to NZ$72,912 |
How Much Does a Midwife make in India?
| Midwife Salary India | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | Rs 121,684 | Rs 58.50* |
| Maximum | Rs 478,760 | Rs 230.17* |
| Bonus/Tip
Profit Share |
Rs 1,017 to Rs 25,000 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | Rs 4.00 to Rs 983.00 |
| Total Pay | Rs 121,611 to Rs 495,113 |
How Much Does a Midwife Make in South Africa?
| Midwife Salary South Africa | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | R176,528 | R35.51 |
| Maximum | R349,516 | R241.61 |
| Bonus/Tip | R19.57 to R30,639 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | R180,397 to R357,629 |
2. Experience
In Australia, entry-level midwives see a salary 8 percent below the mean and late-career ones earn 44 percent above the mean. In South Africa, there is a significant increase in pay for the first 20 years of employment and then no increase. The increase for the first 20 years is R80,000. In the United Kingdom, the pay increases sharply at the beginning and end of the career with a total increase of £10,000. In the United States, the pay stays consistent until more than 20 years of experience is accumulated and then goes from $70,000 to $107,500. The opposite is reported in India where the pay decreases sharply for those with more than 20 years of experience.
The most common experience level for midwives in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and India is those with 1 to 4 years of experience. In South Africa, the most common experience level is 5 to 9 years.
3. Industry
There are both midwives and certified nurse midwives. Certified nurse midwives are much more accepted than midwives. In the United States, there were certified nurse midwives or midwives at 332,107 births. This is approximately 12 percent of the total births in the United States.
- Mean salary of a midwife working in offices of Physicians: $103,360 per year
- Median salary of midwives working in General Medical and Surgical Hospitals: $105,710 per year
- The mean salary of a midwife working in offices of other Health Practitioners: $78,440 per year
The traditional thought is that midwives assist only with births. However, a report on midwives shows that they care for all reproductive health from annual exams to prescriptions, and birth control counseling. Certified midwives get reimbursed insurance at the same rate as physicians. In fact, most of these professionals have at least a master’s degree.
Schedule & Working Hours
The working schedule for midwives is varied. Some of these professionals may be self-employed while others work directly for hospitals. They will have to work in shifts and sometimes can be on-call if they are the main call for delivery.
During a typical day, the midwife could monitor health and see patients, monitor pregnancy conditions such as gestational diabetes, and provide care postpartum.
Bonuses & Benefits
The biggest job benefit for midwives is that they get to experience the joy of bringing a new baby into the world. There are other benefits that will depend on the place of employment. Self-employed midwives have a more flexible schedule. However, they are still dependent on the labor process which is often unpredictable. Midwives who work in a physician center or hospital will have more job benefits such as retirement and healthcare.
Speaking of healthcare, the table below shows healthcare benefits by country. The greatest insurance numbers are actually in India and South Africa which is slightly unexpected compared to other salary guides.
| Country | United States | Canada | United Kingdom | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa |
| Medical | 48 | 50 | 22 | 24 | 0 | 67 | 63 |
| Dental | 48 | 50 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 25 |
| Vision | 31 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| None | 48 | 50 | 76 | 76 | 100 | 29 | 38 |
Career Outlook
This field is set to experience tremendous growth in the United States at a rate of 31 percent through the year 2024. There are two major reasons for this. One, women are increasingly concerned with natural births and having an advocate during their reproductive times. Second, these professionals increase affordability in healthcare due to a lower salary than traditional obstetrics and gynecology professionals. On a similar note, you can read more about the OB/GYN salary.
As should be no large surprise, of the countries reporting gender ratios there are more females. In South Africa, the field is 80 percent female and in the United States it is 93 percent.
Conclusion
A midwife career focuses exclusively on the health and well-being of mother and child. They help women in planning a pregnancy and continue care during the time they are pregnant. Care continues through the birth and the postpartum period. The educational standards for midwives keep increasing and they are an essential part of the healthcare team.
