Pearson PLC
Registered name: PEARSON PLC
Pearson PLC made £3.6bn revenue and £336m profit in the year to 31 Dec 2025.
Pearson PLC’s revenue grew 1% to £3.6bn in the year to 31 Dec 2025, with £336m profit. The company is classified under “other publishing activities”; we hold 3 years of its filed accounts.
- Status
- Active
- Location
- London
- Age
- 129 yrs · since 1897
- Type
- Public Limited Company
Key figures
Badges are automated estimates derived from the filed figures — not statements of fact about the company.
Financial history
| Year to | 31 Dec 2023 | 31 Dec 2024 | 31 Dec 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L |
| Profit & loss | |||
| Revenue (turnover) | £3.7bn | £3.6bn | £3.6bn |
| Cost of sales | −£1.8bn | −£1.7bn | −£1.7bn |
| Gross profit | £1.8bn | £1.8bn | £1.9bn |
| Operating profit | £498m | £541m | £507m |
| Profit before tax | £493m | £510m | £457m |
| Profit after tax | £380m | £435m | £336m |
| Profit (best available) | £380m | £435m | £336m |
| Employees (average) | 17,612 | 17,024 | — |
| Ratios | |||
| Profit margin | 10.3% | 12.3% | 9.4% |
| Gross margin | 50% | 51% | 52% |
| Revenue per employee | £209k | £209k | — |
| Profit per employee | £21.6k | £25.6k | — |
| Growth (year on year) | |||
| Revenue growth | — | ▼3.3% | ▲0.7% |
| Profit growth | — | ▲14.5% | ▼22.8% |
| Headcount growth | — | ▼3.3% | — |
| Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue | |||
| Net assets | — | — | — |
| Source | Accounts · bulk data May 2025 | Accounts · bulk data May 2025 | Accounts · bulk data May 2026 |
How the business works
- Profit margin
- 9.4%
- Profit ÷ revenue.
- Gross margin
- 52%
- Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
- Revenue per employee
- —
- Revenue ÷ average employees.
- Profit per employee
- —
- Profit ÷ average employees.
- Cash conversion
- —
- Cash generated from operations ÷ operating profit. Needs a cash-flow statement.
- Fixed assets ÷ revenue
- —
- Capital intensity. Low = capital-light, cheaper to start.
- Deferred income ÷ revenue
- —
- Customers paying upfront (subscriptions, deposits). Approximate when combined with accruals.
- Debtors ÷ revenue
- —
- Money owed by customers. Low = customers pay quickly.
Balance-sheet signals
Year-on-year changes in filed balance-sheet items. They can hint at momentum (or investment) but are not revenue or profit and must not be read as such.
- Net assets
- —
- Now —
- Cash at bank
- —
- Now —
- Headcount
- —
- Now —
- Deferred income
- —
- Now —
- Fixed assets
- —
- Now —
Group structure
Subsidiaries (11)
- Education Development International PLCFigures not disclosed
- Pearson Dollar Finance LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Pearson Education Holdings LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Pearson Funding PLCFigures not disclosed
- Pearson International Finance LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Pearson Management Services LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Pearson Nominees LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Pearson Overseas Holdings LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Pearson Services LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Pearson Shared Services LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Pearson Strand Finance LimitedFigures not disclosed
From the Persons with Significant Control register (corporate controllers only).
Sources
Latest figures from accounts for the year to 31 Dec 2025 (profit £336m), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published May 2026. Spotted an error? Request a correction.
Contains public sector information from Companies House licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data from Companies House, © Crown copyright. View the licence.