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MetricPay, wages and labor relations

Highest-paid individual to median employee annual remuneration ratio

Measurement answer

What this metric measures

Ratio of the annual total remuneration of the reporting undertaking's highest-paid individual to the median annual total remuneration of its employees after excluding that individual, retained with the remuneration components, currency, annualisation, entity boundary and method edition.

Specification

Metric specification

Result format
Structured table
Unit
Highest-paid individual remuneration (times median employee remuneration)
Reporting basis
Reporting period or measurement date declared by the source method
Aggregation
Do not sum or arithmetically average reported percentages, rates, ratios, or averages; consolidate only from compatible component observations under a disclosed method.
Pillar
Social
Topic
Pay, wages and labor relations
Controlled domain
Workforce
Entity type
Metric

Reporting boundary

Ratios are never summed or averaged. Consolidation requires recomputing the highest-paid individual and employee median across the consolidated employee population under one method. Entity ratios cannot be averaged. The highest-paid individual must be excluded once from the median population.

Cross-library identity

Library mappings and variants

These links compare quantity, population, boundary, period, unit, denominator, aggregation, dimensions, and method edition. Partial relationships are navigation aids only and never authorize observation reuse.

Verified source occurrences

Framework coverage

This is one canonical metric. The bindings below show every verified framework occurrence without creating duplicate metric pages. Edition, disclosure, role, and relationship remain source-specific.

  • Adopting Disclosure

    European Sustainability Reporting Standards

    Source evidence
    Publisher
    European Commission
    Edition
    Consolidated 1 January 2025 edition
    Requirement
    Not Specified
    Relationship
    Defines Disclosure
    Mapping outcome
    Direct Evidence
    Source locator
    S1-6 PDF pp205-206; S1-8 p207 and AR 66-70 pp227-228; S1-10 p208 and AR 72-74 p229; S1-16 pp211-212 and AR 98-102 pp233-234
    Open official framework source
  • Adopting Disclosure

    GRI Standards

    GRI 2-21
    Publisher
    Global Reporting Initiative
    Edition
    Files published 19 June 2025; entry point dated 23 June 2025
    Requirement
    Not Specified
    Relationship
    Method Variant
    Mapping outcome
    Cross Library Link
    Source locator
    GRI 2-21, paragraph a; taxonomy entry point dated 23 June 2025
    Open official framework source

Value structure

Dimensions and units

Unit
Highest-paid individual remuneration (times median employee remuneration)
Reporting basis
Reporting period or measurement date declared by the source method

Unit meaning: A non-negative ratio displayed as a multiple, such as 42.5 times, with numerator and denominator using the same currency, period, annualisation, and remuneration boundary.

Table fields and units

  • Reporting entity and consolidated boundary
  • Highest-paid-person population rule
  • Employee population
  • Employee exclusions
  • Pay-component profile
  • Reported value
  • Highest-paid individual remuneration (times median employee remuneration)
  • Measurement-source edition
  • Assurance status

Published dimensions

  • Reporting entity and consolidated boundary.
  • Highest-paid-person population rule.
  • Employee population.
  • Employee exclusions.
  • Pay-component profile.
  • Guaranteed, variable, cash, in-kind and long-term-incentive treatments.
  • Currency and scale.
  • Exchange-rate method.
  • Annualisation method.
  • Purchasing-power adjustment flag and method.
  • Reporting period.
  • Source and method edition.
  • Assurance status.

Calculation method

Formula information

Status
Specified
Formula type
Ratio

Formula

highest_paid_to_median_remuneration_ratio = highest_paid_individual_annual_total_remuneration ÷ median_employee_annual_total_remuneration_excluding_highest_paid_individual

Apply this formula only with the metric's declared population, reporting period, units, denominator, and method-edition controls.

Variables

SymbolVariableDefinitionUnit
highest_paid_individual_annual_total_remunerationhighest paid individual annual total remunerationInput defined by the reporting boundary for Highest-paid individual to median employee annual remuneration ratio.[ISO currency] at a stated scale
median_employee_annual_total_remuneration_excluding_highest_paid_individualmedian employee annual total remuneration excluding highest paid individualInput defined by the reporting boundary for Highest-paid individual to median employee annual remuneration ratio.[ISO currency] at a stated scale

Verified sources

Evidence and status sources

Sustopedia checked each record-specific claim directly against primary publisher material. Labels distinguish current measurement authority from future compatibility and corroborative, legal, edition, or method status context. Corroborative evidence can support a stated limitation but cannot establish the core measurement by itself.

Measurement evidence

  • Measurement evidenceChecked 15 August 2026

    Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772, consolidated 1 January 2025

    Publisher
    European Commission
    Edition
    Consolidated 1 January 2025 edition
    Locator
    S1-6 PDF pp205-206; S1-8 p207 and AR 66-70 pp227-228; S1-10 p208 and AR 72-74 p229; S1-16 pp211-212 and AR 98-102 pp233-234

    Supports: Supports the measurement definition, boundary, and source-reported fields for Highest-paid individual to median employee annual remuneration ratio.

    Open official source

Use with context

Interpretation boundaries

Method disclosures required

Source-edition basis: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772, consolidated 1 January 2025 — Consolidated 1 January 2025 edition. Retain the exact source edition on every observation; later editions require a separate method profile.

  • Reporting entity and consolidated boundary.
  • Highest-paid-person population rule.
  • Employee population.
  • Employee exclusions.
  • Pay-component profile.
  • Guaranteed, variable, cash, in-kind and long-term-incentive treatments.
  • Currency and scale.
  • Exchange-rate method.
  • Retain the exact measurement-source edition with every observation.
  • A non-negative ratio displayed as a multiple, such as 42.5 times, with numerator and denominator using the same currency, period, annualisation, and remuneration boundary.

Record-specific limitations

  • The result does not show pay distribution, living wage, equal pay or pay equity. Size, sector, part-time mix, outsourcing, automation, remuneration design, exchange rates and purchasing- power adjustments affect comparability. The highest-paid individual may not be the chief executive.

Interpret this metric with the stated reporting boundary, period convention, value shape, and unit. Results prepared with different boundaries or conventions may not be directly comparable.

Measurement evidence supports the core record-specific claims described above. Corroborative evidence can support limitations, while compatibility and status sources provide their separately labelled context. None of these cards by itself determines an organisation's legal applicability, filing readiness, assurance status, or compliance conclusion.