Employment in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Employment was 34,120 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
34,120
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
17th
of 174 countries
All-time high
34,120
in 2025
All-time low
23,624
in 1983
Years of data
57
1969–2025
Employment in United Kingdom, 1969–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, employment in United Kingdom stood at 34,120. That is the highest value across all 57 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in United Kingdom peaked at 34,120 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 23,624, in 1983.
That places United Kingdom 17th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 57 years of available data.
Employment in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 24,477 | — |
| 1970 | 24,381 | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 24,143 | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 24,118 | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 24,696 | +2.4% |
| 1974 | 24,785 | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 25,056 | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 24,844 | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 24,866 | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 25,014 | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 25,393 | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 25,327 | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 24,345 | -3.9% |
| 1982 | 23,907 | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 23,624 | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 24,235 | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 24,539 | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 24,568 | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 25,083 | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 25,914 | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 26,684 | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 27,191 | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 26,305 | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 25,728 | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 25,478 | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 25,676 | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 25,989 | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 26,280 | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 26,744 | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 27,051 | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 26,874 | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 27,263 | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 27,536 | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 27,730 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 28,040 | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 28,302 | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 28,804 | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 29,097 | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 29,325 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 29,563 | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 29,085 | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 29,139 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 29,305 | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 29,562 | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 29,933 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 30,653 | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 31,170 | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 31,696 | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 32,008 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 32,408 | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 32,774 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 32,615 | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 32,164 | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 32,709 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 33,014 | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 33,388 | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 34,120 | +2.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 34,120 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,235, 15.3× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 34,120 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,067, 11.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 24,477 | 24,477 | 24,477 | 1 |
| 1970s | 24,730 | 24,118 | 25,393 | 10 |
| 1980s | 24,823 | 23,624 | 26,684 | 10 |
| 1990s | 26,332 | 25,478 | 27,191 | 10 |
| 2000s | 28,474 | 27,263 | 29,563 | 10 |
| 2010s | 30,865 | 29,139 | 32,774 | 10 |
| 2020s | 33,002 | 32,164 | 34,120 | 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 United Kingdom?
- Employment in United Kingdom was 34,120 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 34,120 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 23,624 in 1983.
- How does United Kingdom rank for employment?
- United Kingdom ranks 17th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 57 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).