Radiologists have to pursue a high level of education to be certified regardless of the country they work in. These professionals who work in the United States earn a median salary of $286,902. In Canada, Australia, and New Zealand the radiologist salary is $198,676, $155,125, and $151,000 dollars respectfully. Radiologists who work in the United Kingdom can expect a salary of E63,464 ($69,150).
The factors that impact radiologist salary covered in this article are experience, the industry, the valued skills, and the country where that professional is working. In addition, the base salary, benefits, and job outlook for this profession are given.
How Much Does a Radiologist Make per Year by Country?
| Radiologist Salary | US | Canada | UK | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa |
| Hourly Pay | $140.00 | C$95.56* ($71.32) | E30.51* ($33.25) | AU$74.58* ($56.51) | NZ$72.59 to NZ$288.46 ($51.69 to $205.08) | Rs 743.09 ($11.11) | R288.46* ($20.80) |
| Annual Pay | $286,902 | C$198,676 ($148,284) | E63,464 ($69,150) | AU$155,135 ($117,763) | NZ$151,000 to NZ$600,000 ($107,524 to $427,251) | Rs 1,545,629 ($23,065) | R600,000 ($43,271) |
*This number was estimated based on the salary or hourly rate.
Radiologist Salary Influencing Factors
A radiologist salary can be difficult to find as their job is not always separated from other physicians and surgeons. Payscale was used to give the information for six of the countries and Careers Government New Zealand was used to find information on the salary for New Zealand.
1. Location
How Much Does a Radiologist Make in the US?
The radiologist salary in the United States ranges from $101,778 to $436,058 dollars. An annual bonus of $98,005 and profit sharing from $9,683 to $128,195 increase the total pay for these professionals. Their regular hourly rate is $33.53 to $244.68 and the overtime rate is up to $306.39 dollars. In fact, the total pay for radiologists in the United States is from $103,119 to $467,166.
How Much Does a Radiologist Make in Canada?
In Canada, radiologists can expect to earn a salary between C$68,456 and C$486,804 annually. They can expect a bonus up to C$47,888 dollars. An estimated hourly rate of C$32.91 to C$234.04 is the equivalent of the annual salary. The total income for these professionals is C$68,000 to C$486,626.
How Much Does a Radiologist Make in the UK?
Radiologists in the United Kingdom will earn E29,699 for the 10th percentile of earners and E100,751 for the 90th percentile of earners. An annual bonus of E6,500 may be received. The hourly rate of E14.27 to E48.44. The total salary amounts to anywhere from E29,699 to E103,424.
How Much Does a Radiologist Make in Australia?
The radiologist salary in Australia has a huge gap between the 10th and 90th percentiles. The salary is anywhere from AU$71,206 to AU$498,361. These professionals can receive a bonus of AU$48,936. An estimated hourly rate based on a 40 hour work week is AU$34.23 to AU$239.60 dollars. The total income is AU$71,251 to AU$508,952 dollars.
How Much Does a Radiologist Make in New Zealand?
Training radiologists in New Zealand receive a pay of NZ$70,000 to NZ$175,000 while certified radiologists earn NZ$151,000 to NZ$600,000 annually. Radiologists who work in the public system in New Zealand can earn up to NZ$250,000 in bonuses and other incentives.
How Much Does a Radiologist Make in India?
The salary for radiologists who work in India ranges anywhere from Rs 498,273 to Rs 3,694,752. Compared to even the minimum salary, the bonus of Rs 101,367 and profit share of Rs 100,000 do not contribute much to the overall income of these professionals. The final salary for radiologists in India is Rs 527,146 to Rs 4,775,318.
How Much Does a Radiologist Make in South Africa?
The hourly rate for radiologists in South Africa is estimated to range from R87.11 to R1411.60. The base salary is R181,207 to R2,936,142. A small bonus of R2,500 and profit sharing of R253,500 is typical. A complete picture of the salary gives an income of R181,207 to R2,936,142.
2. Experience
A radiologist’s career is impacted by experience differently in different countries. The large difference in income for radiologists in Canada is not attributed to experience as mid-career professionals only report a 1% higher income than entry-level.
The exact opposite situation is seen in Australia where experienced radiologists earn 66% above the national average and entry-level radiologists earn 18% less. In the United Kingdom, there is no difference in income between experienced and late-career radiologists, but entry-level and mid-career radiologists will make significantly less.
The pay trajectory based on experience for radiologists in the United States swings 23% from entry-level to experienced or late-career radiologists. However, there is no difference in pay for those with 10-20 years of experience and those with more than 20 years of experience.
In South Africa, entry-level radiologists earn 18% less than the average and mid-career earn 94% more. The pay for radiologists in India rises sharply between entry-level and mid-career professionals but then tapers off between those with 10-20 and more than 20 years of experience.
3. Industry
Radiologists in the United States will work primarily in hospitals, doctor’s offices, or outpatient surgical centers. Radiologists who work in veteran’s hospitals will be employed through the public sector, but for the most part, they work in the private sector.
In other countries, the sector that healthcare workers are in depends on the policies of the government of that country. For example, Australia and Canada have radiologists who work for the public health sector but there can also be private practices.
In New Zealand, the pay for radiologists differs based on if they work in the public or private sector. Training radiologists will make between NZ$70,000 and NZ$175,000 while practicing radiologists will make between Nz$151,000 and NZ$212,000 for the district health board. Those professionals who work for the private sector will make up to NZ$600,000.
Schedule & Working Hours
In the United States radiologists experience an excellent work/life balance in that they work up to 12 hour days when they are at work but they are not expected to work when they are at home. This is in contrast to the United Kingdom where the days are long and radiologists can be called in on their days off.
Radiologists in New Zealand experience a much better work-life balance than radiologists in Australia and the United Kingdom. A personal testimony () shows how when this radiologist worked in New Zealand they had a reasonable work schedule and were able to spend more time with patients.
An excellent working schedule benefit of being a radiologist in the United States comes with experience. Once radiologists gain experience, they are able to stop working nights and weekends and defer those hours to radiologists in residence or to entry-level certified radiologists.
Bonuses & Benefits
Radiologists will typically receive excellent benefits from their place of employment including many different types of insurance and retirement contributions. In countries like New Zealand or Australia, it is possible to work as a temporary radiologist while work visas are processed. This allows a professional to start working soon after they move to that particular country.
Healthcare benefits for each country are included in the table below.
| Country | United States | Canada | United Kingdom | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa |
| Medical | 87 | 88 | 35 | 47 | — | 40 | 50 |
| Dental | 62 | 60 | 6 | 22 | — | 7 | 6 |
| Vision | 50 | 52 | 6 | 16 | — | 5 | 6 |
Career Outlook
Choosing to be a radiologist is a good career decision in the United States. The states with the highest number of radiologists are New York, California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois. While rural hospitals may have a few radiologists on staff, they will typically work at specialty hospitals who do a lot of diagnostic imaging or radiation oncology.
In New Zealand, a radiologist career is a good choice because there is a shortage of qualified workers. However, part of the reason this shortage is occurring is because Australia is offering extremely lucrative contracts to New Zealand radiologists to lure them away from their posts in New Zealand. Sometimes the pay is four times as high for the radiologist positions in Australia.
Conclusion
Radiologists are an absolutely necessary part of any holistic medical care. Reading and diagnosing medical imaging takes significant education and skill. As a result of this, radiologists are compensated well and can experience a superior work/life balance. The impact of experience depends on the country but the required skills cut across borders and focus on patient care.
