Annual working hours per worker in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Annual working hours per worker was 1,523 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Annual working hours per worker in United Kingdom, 1870–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
In 2023, annual working hours per worker in United Kingdom stood at 1,523 hours per worker.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in United Kingdom peaked at 2,755 hours per worker in 1870 and was at its lowest, 1,392 hours per worker, in 2020.
That places United Kingdom 117th out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 81 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 2,755 hours per worker | 2,755 hours per worker | 2,755 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1880s | 2,740 hours per worker | 2,740 hours per worker | 2,740 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1890s | 2,669 hours per worker | 2,669 hours per worker | 2,669 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1900s | 2,656 hours per worker | 2,656 hours per worker | 2,656 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1910s | 2,656 hours per worker | 2,656 hours per worker | 2,656 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1920s | 2,257 hours per worker | 2,257 hours per worker | 2,257 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1930s | 2,200 hours per worker | 2,200 hours per worker | 2,200 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1950s | 1,995 hours per worker | 1,947 hours per worker | 2,031 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,847 hours per worker | 1,771 hours per worker | 1,948 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,698 hours per worker | 1,674 hours per worker | 1,733 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,622 hours per worker | 1,611 hours per worker | 1,654 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,593 hours per worker | 1,582 hours per worker | 1,617 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,547 hours per worker | 1,517 hours per worker | 1,571 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,537 hours per worker | 1,519 hours per worker | 1,546 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,483 hours per worker | 1,392 hours per worker | 1,529 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More work & labour data for United Kingdom
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 61.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 65.6% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 87.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 57.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 76.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 73.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per worker in United Kingdom?
- Annual working hours per worker in United Kingdom was 1,523 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per worker recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2,755 hours per worker in 1870.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,392 hours per worker in 2020.
- How does United Kingdom rank for annual working hours per worker?
- United Kingdom ranks 117th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per worker. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average working hours per worker in a given year.