United Kingdom vs United States: Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) over time
- United Kingdom
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 21,941 against 8,168 in United Kingdom, a difference of 13,773.
That makes United States's figure about 2.7 times United Kingdom's.
Across all 8 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
United Kingdom ranks 3rd and United States ranks 1st of 42 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United Kingdom | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6,904 | 20,995 | 14,091 | United States |
| 2020s | 7,761 | 21,304 | 13,543 | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher public sector employment, United Kingdom or United States?
- United States, at 21,941 against 8,168 in United Kingdom as of 2025.
- What is the difference in public sector employment between United Kingdom and United States?
- 13,773, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United Kingdom and United States?
- 8 years are reported by both, from 2018 to 2025.
- How do United Kingdom and United States rank globally for public sector employment?
- United Kingdom ranks 3rd and United States ranks 1st of 42 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization, published as Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The employed comprise all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). For more information, refer to the Worker and Sector Profiles (PROF) database description.