We study the effect of higher-derivative terms on holographic Schwinger effect by introducing the Gauss–Bonnet term in the gravity sector. Anti-de Sitter soliton background is considered which is dual to confining phase of the boundary field theory. By calculating the potential between the produced pair, we find that larger Gauss–Bonnet factor makes the pair lighter. We apply numerical method to calculate the production rate for various cases. The results show that the Gauss–Bonnet term enhances the production rate. The critical behaviors near the two critical values of the electric field are also investigated, and it is found that the two critical indexes are not affected by the Gauss–Bonnet term and thus suggests a possible universality.