Annual working hours per worker in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Annual working hours per worker was 1,523 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1,523
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
117th
of 130 countries
All-time high
2,755
in 1870
All-time low
1,392
in 2020
Years of data
81
1870–2023
Annual working hours per worker in United Kingdom, 1870–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, annual working hours per worker in United Kingdom stood at 1,523.
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 in 1870 and was at its lowest, 1,392, 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.
Annual working hours per worker in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 2,755 | — |
| 1880 | 2,740 | -0.5% |
| 1890 | 2,669 | -2.6% |
| 1900 | 2,656 | -0.5% |
| 1913 | 2,656 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 2,257 | -15.0% |
| 1938 | 2,200 | -2.5% |
| 1950 | 2,023 | -8.1% |
| 1951 | 2,031 | +0.4% |
| 1952 | 2,001 | -1.5% |
| 1953 | 2,005 | +0.2% |
| 1954 | 2,009 | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 2,007 | -0.1% |
| 1956 | 1,995 | -0.6% |
| 1957 | 1,975 | -1.0% |
| 1958 | 1,947 | -1.4% |
| 1959 | 1,956 | +0.5% |
| 1960 | 1,948 | -0.4% |
| 1961 | 1,914 | -1.7% |
| 1962 | 1,879 | -1.8% |
| 1963 | 1,871 | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 1,872 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1,850 | -1.2% |
| 1966 | 1,798 | -2.8% |
| 1967 | 1,787 | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 1,780 | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 1,771 | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 1,733 | -2.2% |
| 1971 | 1,695 | -2.2% |
| 1972 | 1,715 | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 1,723 | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 1,709 | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 1,680 | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 1,674 | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 1,683 | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 1,684 | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 1,681 | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 1,654 | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 1,620 | -2.0% |
| 1982 | 1,616 | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 1,611 | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 1,617 | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 1,619 | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 1,614 | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 1,618 | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 1,625 | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 1,629 | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 1,617 | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 1,593 | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 1,588 | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 1,584 | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 1,593 | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 1,595 | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 1,595 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 1,594 | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 1,590 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 1,582 | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 1,568 | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 1,571 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 1,555 | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 1,546 | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 1,544 | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 1,546 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 1,541 | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 1,543 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 1,538 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 1,517 | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 1,522 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 1,519 | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 1,531 | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 1,540 | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 1,546 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 1,543 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 1,541 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 1,542 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 1,537 | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 1,545 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 1,392 | -9.9% |
| 2021 | 1,490 | +7.0% |
| 2022 | 1,529 | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 1,523 | -0.4% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1,523 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1,668, 91% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1,523 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1,735, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 2,755 | 2,755 | 2,755 | 1 |
| 1880s | 2,740 | 2,740 | 2,740 | 1 |
| 1890s | 2,669 | 2,669 | 2,669 | 1 |
| 1900s | 2,656 | 2,656 | 2,656 | 1 |
| 1910s | 2,656 | 2,656 | 2,656 | 1 |
| 1920s | 2,257 | 2,257 | 2,257 | 1 |
| 1930s | 2,200 | 2,200 | 2,200 | 1 |
| 1950s | 1,995 | 1,947 | 2,031 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,847 | 1,771 | 1,948 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,698 | 1,674 | 1,733 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,622 | 1,611 | 1,654 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,593 | 1,582 | 1,617 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,547 | 1,517 | 1,571 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,537 | 1,519 | 1,546 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,483 | 1,392 | 1,529 | 4 |
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 worker in United Kingdom?
- Annual working hours per worker in United Kingdom was 1,523 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per worker recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2,755 in 1870.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,392 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 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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