Labour force participation in United Kingdom
The ILO estimates that 61.4% of people aged 15 and over in United Kingdom were in the labour force in 2025. The value for 2025 is the lowest since 2003.
United Kingdom, 2025
61.4%
Change from 2024
−0.2percentage points
World, 2025
60.8%
Median of OECD (38 countries), 2025
61.6%
Position in 2025
94th of 181
Labour force participation in United Kingdom over time
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United Kingdom
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The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of working-age population aged 15 and over. Source: ILO, ILOSTAT (ILO Modelled Estimates). Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years. Dashed lines are projections.
| Period | United Kingdom | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 61.4% | 60.8% |
| 2024 | 61.6% | 61.0% |
| 2023 | 61.8% | 61.0% |
| 2022 | 61.9% | 60.7% |
| 2021 | 62.0% | 60.4% |
| 2020 | 62.6% | 59.7% |
| 2019 | 62.6% | 61.0% |
| 2018 | 62.6% | 61.2% |
| 2017 | 62.4% | 61.3% |
| 2016 | 62.4% | 61.5% |
Flags: f Projection . A dash means no value was published.
In short
- That is a change of −0.2 percentage points from 61.6% in 2024.
- Since 2015, when it was 62.3%, the figure has changed by −0.9 percentage points.
- Among the 181 countries with data for 2025, United Kingdom has the 94th highest value.
- The figure for the world in 2025 was 60.8%.
More for United Kingdom
All statistics for United Kingdom
Women's labour force participation
57.3%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Employment-to-population ratio
58.5%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Monthly unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted)
4.9%
September 2020 · Eurostat
Usual weekly working hours
37.0 hours per week
2019 · Eurostat
Part-time employment
24.4%
2019 · Eurostat
Monthly youth unemployment
14.5%
September 2020 · Eurostat