The base pay for registered nurses in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand is around $28.00 an hour in their currencies. In the United States, the average hourly wage is $27.00. In the United Kingdom, it is E12.00 ($13.06) while in India and South Africa the pay is lower. An RN salary is impacted by experience, job skill, and location. Learn more about these factors and the job outlook for registered nurses in this article.
How Much Does a Registered Nurse Make per Year by Country?
| RN Salary | US | Canada | UK | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa |
| Hourly Pay | $27.00 | C$31.00 ($23.23) | E12.00 ($13.06) | AU$30.00 ($22.84) | NZ$25.00 ($17.92) | Rs 90.75 ($1.36) | R79.00 ($5.67) |
| Annual Pay | $58,731 | C$57,991 ($43,459) | E23,019 ($25,048) | AU$55,016 ($41,890) | NZ$51,602
($36,986) |
Rs 188,768 ($2,821) | R178,796 ($12,830) |
RN Salary Influencing Factors
A RN career is a popular profession regardless of location. While there are variations in the RN salary based on the sample and how many people report their income, the data from payscale.com provides a good understanding of the variances in pay.
1. Location
How Much Does an RN Make in the US?
The annual RN salary in the United States ranges from $39,386 to $81,541 for the 10th to 90th percentile of earners. They will earn a bonus up to $1,041, profit sharing of $100 to $4,140 dollars, and a commission of up to $11,234 dollars. Registered nurses can frequently work overtime and they will get paid $14.27 to $57.83 an hour in overtime pay. Their total salary is $43,403 to $83,171.
How Much Does an RN Make in Canada?
A registered nurse in Canada will earn between C$24.85 and C$41.36 an hour. Their overtime rate will be up to C$76.32. Annually they will make anywhere from C$35,768 to C$82,662. They receive a small bonus of up to C$2,013 and profit sharing of C$900. The total take home pay is C$44,686 to C$86,110.
How Much Does an RN Make in the UK?
In the United Kingdom, a registered nurse makes between E10.03 to E18.25 an hour and their overtime rate goes up to E23.28. The annual salary for the 10th percentile is E17,770 and for the 90th percentile it is E31,149. They can receive a bonus up to E2,016. In fact, the total pay for registered nurses in the United Kingdom is between E18,357 and E34,105 annually.
How Much Does an RN Make in Australia?
The salary for registered nurses in Australia is anywhere from AU$38,263 to AU$75,304 dollars and AU$24.16 to AU$38.70 dollars. The overtime is AU$61.67 an hour. An annual bonus of AU$2,048 and a small profit share of AU$100.00 dollars.
How Much Does an RN Make in New Zealand?
The RN salary in New Zealand fluctuates from NZ$22.17 to NZ$31.29 with an overtime rate of up to NZ$48.71. The annual salary is NZ$38,894 to NZ66,168 dollars. A small bonus of up to NZ$3,064 may be received. In sum, the pay for registered nurses in New Zealand is NZ$43,514 to NZ$65,923 dollars.
How Much Does an RN Make in India?
Registered nurses in India make between Rs 94,263 and Rs 458,270 annually with a bonus up to Rs 49,777 and profit sharing of Rs 19,998. This results in a total salary of Rs 89,126 to Rs 484,296. Their hourly rate is between Rs 45.31 and Rs 232.83. With the base salary and all of the additional opportunities for income the total take home pay for registered nurses in Australia is AU$46,131 and AU$79,850.
How Much Does a Registered Nurse Make in South Africa?
The total salary for RNs in South Africa is R108,550 to R268,073. The base salary is R107,551 to R251,075 with a bonus of anywhere from R247.57 to R36,987 and profit share of R5,000. An hourly rate of R48.48 to R136.39 with an overtime rate of R153.13 is expected.
2. Experience
Registered nurses in all countries experience an increase in pay as they gain more experience. However, experience is valued more highly in some countries than others.
In the United States and South Africa, the RN salary growth has consistency as experience is gained. In Canada, there is not much increase between those with 10 and 20 years of experience and then increases 4% for late-career registered nurses. In India, experienced RNs make 88% more than entry level. In the United Kingdom and Australia, there is no growth between experienced and late-career registered nurses. In New Zealand, registered nurses see an increase in pay from entry-level to mid-career and from experienced to later-career but not between those time periods.
3. Industry
A RN career will look differently depending on where they work. In the United States most registered nurses work in hospitals (61%) but they also work in nursing homes, physician offices, home healthcare, and the government such as in schools. Those who worked for the government had the highest average pay at $72,100 and nursing care had the lowest average pay of $60,370.
There are also skills that indicate history and connote a higher pay. These skills vary by country. In the United States skills in anesthetics are valued, in Canada registered nurses who work in psychiatrics or the intensive care unit are valued. In contrast, registered nurses in India are paid under the average if they work in the intensive care unit. In the United Kingdom cardiology, home care, and dialysis skills are valued while dialysis is also highly valued in South Africa.
Schedule & Working Hours
The working environment of registered nurses is highly dependent on where they work. Registered nurses frequently have to work nights, weekends, and holidays because people always need medical care. Registered nurses also can go work in countries that need medical care and will travel around the world. Most nurses work full-time but one in six works part-time. Registered nurses may also need to be on call if the other registered nurse(s) are not able to work their scheduled hours.
Bonuses & Benefits
Registered nurses will receive a variety of benefits depending on where they work and if they are full or part-time. While many employers may contribute to retirement, this is dependent on the country and business. The table below shows the healthcare benefits.
| Country | United States | Canada | United Kingdom | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa |
| Medical | 77 | 70 | 28 | 19 | 27 | 63 | 63 |
| Dental | 66 | 62 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Vision | 55 | 52 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
Career Outlook
Being a registered nurse is a smart choice around the world. In the United States, registered nursing is expected to grow as a field by 16%. Depending on the demographics of a country nurses will be needed in different fields. For example, countries with a high birth rate may need more neonatal nurses while those with a higher elderly rate may be needed more in nursing homes.
The highest paying areas for registered nurses in the United States are Los Angeles, San Diego, New York, Seattle, and Philadelphia. In Canada, the high paying areas are Edmonton, Calgary, and Saskatoon and in Australia, the high paying areas are New Castle and Townsville.
It is worth it to invest in the education to be a registered nurse because the pay is relatively high, the job satisfaction is high and there is variety in the workplace, While it can be competitive to get the job you want there are several openings to work as a registered nurse anywhere in the world.
Conclusion
Registered nursing is a job that is valued by society and gives a high job satisfaction in being able to meet the needs of patients. The job outlook is quite positive and the education transfers across cultures so registered nurses can practice in many different parts of the world. Given all of these benefits, it is clear that choosing to become a registered nurse is a smart career choice for those who are compassionate and like helping people.
