Annual working hours per person employed in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Annual working hours per person employed was 1,673 Hours in 2016. ▼ Falling
Annual working hours per person employed in United Kingdom, 1970–2016
Source: OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in Hours.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 1,673 Hours for annual working hours per person employed in 2016.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per person employed in United Kingdom peaked at 1,926 Hours in 1970 and was at its lowest, 1,630 Hours, in 2010.
That places United Kingdom 25th out of 37 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Annual working hours per person employed in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1,926 Hours | — |
| 1971 | 1,889 Hours | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 1,855 Hours | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 1,911 Hours | +3.0% |
| 1974 | 1,872 Hours | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 1,867 Hours | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 1,850 Hours | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 1,831 Hours | -1.0% |
| 1978 | 1,811 Hours | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 1,803 Hours | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 1,757 Hours | -2.5% |
| 1981 | 1,701 Hours | -3.2% |
| 1982 | 1,716 Hours | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 1,702 Hours | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 1,718 Hours | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 1,750 Hours | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 1,753 Hours | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 1,742 Hours | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 1,782 Hours | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 1,770 Hours | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 1,755 Hours | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 1,752 Hours | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 1,718 Hours | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 1,712 Hours | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 1,722 Hours | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 1,726 Hours | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 1,728 Hours | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 1,705 Hours | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 1,720 Hours | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 1,712 Hours | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 1,699 Hours | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 1,699 Hours | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 1,681 Hours | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 1,669 Hours | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 1,655 Hours | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 1,672 Hours | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 1,667 Hours | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 1,669 Hours | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 1,647 Hours | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 1,641 Hours | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 1,630 Hours | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 1,643 Hours | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 1,658 Hours | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 1,668 Hours | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 1,675 Hours | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 1,657 Hours | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 1,673 Hours | +0.9% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1,673 Hours is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1,713 Hours, 98% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1,673 Hours is below the median for high income countries, which is 1,728 Hours, 97% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1,861 Hours | 1,803 Hours | 1,926 Hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,739 Hours | 1,701 Hours | 1,782 Hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,725 Hours | 1,705 Hours | 1,755 Hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,670 Hours | 1,641 Hours | 1,699 Hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,658 Hours | 1,630 Hours | 1,675 Hours | 7 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More work & labour data for United Kingdom
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 22,956 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 60.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 35,770 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.93 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.07 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 111,361 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,223 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 57.91 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.47 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.4352 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per person employed in United Kingdom?
- Annual working hours per person employed in United Kingdom was 1,673 Hours in 2016, according to OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per person employed recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 1,926 Hours in 1970.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per person employed recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,630 Hours in 2010.
- How does United Kingdom rank for annual working hours per person employed?
- United Kingdom ranks 25th out of 37 countries with data for 2016.
- Is annual working hours per person employed rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per person employed. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Regular hours worked by full-time and part-time workers, paid and unpaid overtime, hours worked in additional jobs, and time not worked because of public holidays, annual paid leave, strikes and labour disputes, and other reasons.