United Kingdom vs United States: Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group
Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group over time
- United Kingdom
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 4.3 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup against 4.22 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.08 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 28 shared years of data; in 1997 it was United Kingdom ahead.
United Kingdom ranks 28th and United States ranks 27th of 37 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, United Kingdom averaged higher in 1 and United States in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United Kingdom | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.31 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 5.07 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 1.24 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 5.08 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 6 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 0.9184 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | United States |
| 2010s | 5.34 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 7.02 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 1.68 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | United States |
| 2020s | 3.67 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 5.08 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 1.41 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group, United Kingdom or United States?
- United States, at 4.3 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup against 4.22 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in United Kingdom as of 2025.
- What is the difference in unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group between United Kingdom and United States?
- 0.08 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United Kingdom and United States?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2025.
- How do United Kingdom and United States rank globally for unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group?
- United Kingdom ranks 28th and United States ranks 27th of 37 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and gender. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This dataset contains data on unemployment rates by educational attainment level, age group and gender. The default table displays 2025 data (or the latest available year) on the unemployment rates of 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary, upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary, or tertiary attainment. The selection can be changed to display data by more detailed educational attainment level, by programme orientation, by gender and by age group. Filter the time period to display historical data. Data for the latest available year are preliminary. Final data will be released on September 29, 2026. For more information, please consult the Education at a Glance web page and the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications.