Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) was 15.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in United Kingdom, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in industry (% of total employment) in United Kingdom stood at 15.9%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry (% of total employment) in United Kingdom peaked at 30.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 15.9%, in 2025.
That places United Kingdom 135th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 30.8% | — |
| 1992 | 29.8% | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 29.5% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 27.9% | -5.4% |
| 1995 | 27.5% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 27.5% | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 26.9% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 26.8% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 25.9% | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 25.3% | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 24.7% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 24.0% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 23.5% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 22.4% | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 22.2% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 22.0% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 22.2% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 21.4% | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 19.6% | -8.4% |
| 2010 | 19.2% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 19.1% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 19.0% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 18.9% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 19.0% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 18.6% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 18.5% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 18.2% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 18.1% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 18.2% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 17.2% | -5.7% |
| 2021 | 16.9% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 16.7% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 15.9% | -4.7% |
| 2024 | 16.1% | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 15.9% | -1.3% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 15.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 19.9%, 80% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 15.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 23.3%, 68% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.1% | 25.9% | 30.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 22.7% | 19.6% | 25.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.7% | 18.1% | 19.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.5% | 15.9% | 17.2% | 6 |
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 employment in industry (% of total employment) in United Kingdom?
- Employment in industry (% of total employment) in United Kingdom was 15.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 30.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.9% in 2025.
- How does United Kingdom rank for employment in industry (% of total employment)?
- United Kingdom ranks 135th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry (% of total employment) rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).