Norway vs United Kingdom: Monthly unemployment rates
Monthly unemployment rates over time
- Norway
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 4.83 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup against 4.51 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in Norway, a difference of 0.32 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.1 times Norway's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 37 shared years of data; in 1989 it was United Kingdom ahead.
Norway ranks 22nd and United Kingdom ranks 20th of 32 countries.
United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Norway | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.88 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 7.08 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2.19 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 4.77 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 8.12 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 3.35 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 3.6 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 5.44 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 1.83 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 4.05 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 6.04 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 1.98 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 4.09 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 4.35 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 0.2569 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher monthly unemployment rates, Norway or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 4.83 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup against 4.51 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in Norway as of 2025.
- What is the difference in monthly unemployment rates between Norway and United Kingdom?
- 0.32 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and United Kingdom?
- 37 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2025.
- How do Norway and United Kingdom rank globally for monthly unemployment rates?
- Norway ranks 22nd and United Kingdom ranks 20th of 32 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Monthly unemployment rates. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The infra-annual dataflow on the monthly unemployment rate is a subset of the infra-annual labour statistics database, which contains predominantly monthly and quarterly statistics on the unemployed population by age groups (15+, 15-24, 25-54, 55-64, 15-64 and 15-74 where available) and sex and associated statistical methodological information and associated statistical methodological information, for the OECD member countries and for selected other economies. The unemployment rate is calculated as the number of unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force (i.e., the unemployed plus those in employment). The unemployed are persons in their working age who, in the reference period, do not have a job; are available for work; and, have taken specific steps to find a job. Chile, Costa Rica, and the United Kingdom publish Labour Force Survey (LFS) data using a rolling quarter methodology. The OECD treats the middle month of the rolling quarter as the reference month. As a result, the publication of monthly LFS data for these countries may be delayed by one month or more relative to the OECD reference month. The infra-annual labour statistics compiled for all OECD member countries, are drawn from Labour Force Surveys based on definition provided by the 19th Conference of Labour Statisticians in 2013. The uniform application of these definitions across all OECD member countries results in estimates that are internationally comparable.