Employees by educational attainment level in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Employees by educational attainment level was 27,502 in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
27,502
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
2nd
of 47 countries
All-time high
27,502
in 2019
All-time low
20,787
in 1983
Years of data
37
1983–2019

Employees by educational attainment level in United Kingdom, 1983–2019

010.0k20.0k30.0k1983200120191983: 20.8k1984: 21.0k1985: 21.5k1986: 21.5k1987: 21.6k1988: 22.3k1989: 22.7k1990: 22.9k1991: 22.5k1992: 22.2k1993: 22.0k1994: 22.1k1995: 22.4k1996: 22.7k1997: 23.2k1998: 23.6k1999: 23.4k2000: 23.9k2001: 24.1k2002: 24.3k2003: 24.4k2004: 24.5k2005: 24.9k2006: 25.1k2007: 25.3k2008: 25.5k2009: 25.0k2010: 24.9k2011: 25.0k2012: 25.1k2013: 25.4k2014: 25.8k2015: 26.4k2016: 26.6k2017: 26.9k2018: 27.4k2019: 27.5k

Source: Eurostat.

Analysis

In 2019, employees by educational attainment level in United Kingdom stood at 27,502. That is the highest value across all 37 years on record.

The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 10.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employees by educational attainment level in United Kingdom peaked at 27,502 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 20,787, in 1983.

United Kingdom ranks 2nd of 47 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.

Employees by educational attainment level in United Kingdom, year by year

Annual values for Employees by educational attainment level in United Kingdom, 1983 to 2019.
Year Value Change
1983 20,787 —
1984 21,022 +1.1%
1985 21,464 +2.1%
1986 21,548 +0.4%
1987 21,602 +0.3%
1988 22,280 +3.1%
1989 22,745 +2.1%
1990 22,918 +0.8%
1991 22,512 -1.8%
1992 22,196 -1.4%
1993 21,993 -0.9%
1994 22,091 +0.4%
1995 22,374 +1.3%
1996 22,741 +1.6%
1997 23,189 +2.0%
1998 23,578 +1.7%
1999 23,406 -0.7%
2000 23,851 +1.9%
2001 24,112 +1.1%
2002 24,254 +0.6%
2003 24,379 +0.5%
2004 24,526 +0.6%
2005 24,929 +1.6%
2006 25,133 +0.8%
2007 25,269 +0.5%
2008 25,485 +0.9%
2009 25,011 -1.9%
2010 24,929 -0.3%
2011 25,027 +0.4%
2012 25,094 +0.3%
2013 25,398 +1.2%
2014 25,840 +1.7%
2015 26,383 +2.1%
2016 26,648 +1.0%
2017 26,947 +1.1%
2018 27,361 +1.5%
2019 27,502 +0.5%

United Kingdom compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom's 27,502 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2,801, 9.8× the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom's 27,502 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,127, 8.8× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 21,635 20,787 22,745 7
1990s 22,700 21,993 23,578 10
2000s 24,695 23,851 25,485 10
2010s 26,113 24,929 27,502 10

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 1 Germany 38,822 compare
  2. 2 United Kingdom 27,502 compare
  3. 4 France 25,384 compare
  4. 5 Türkiye 23,366 compare

See the full ranking of 49 places →

More work & labour data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is employees by educational attainment level in United Kingdom?
Employees by educational attainment level in United Kingdom was 27,502 in 2019, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest employees by educational attainment level recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 27,502 in 2019.
What is the lowest employees by educational attainment level recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 20,787 in 1983.
How does United Kingdom rank for employees by educational attainment level?
United Kingdom ranks 2nd out of 47 countries with data for 2019.
Is employees by educational attainment level rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Employees by educational attainment level. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Employees by educational attainment level in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/employees-by-educational-attainment-level/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Employees by educational attainment level
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
49 places, 1,479 data points, 1983–2025
Last refreshed