Employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and was 84.69 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1997–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of population in the same subgroup.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 84.69 Percentage of population in the same subgroup, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 85.54 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2022 and was at its lowest, 77.83 Percentage of population in the same subgroup, in 1997.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 6th of 37 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Percentage of population in the same subgroup | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 77.83 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | — |
| 1998 | 78.21 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 79.32 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 79.86 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 79.91 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 79.42 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 79.33 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 79.66 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 79.92 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 79.98 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 80.63 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 79.97 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 78.49 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 79.05 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 78.11 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 79.11 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 79.98 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 80.55 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 81.73 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 82.11 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 83.49 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 84.06 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 85.28 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 85.52 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 85.26 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 85.54 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 85.3 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 84.71 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 84.69 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.0% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 84.69 Percentage of population in the same subgroup is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.41 Percentage of population in the same subgroup, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 84.69 Percentage of population in the same subgroup is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 81.41 Percentage of population in the same subgroup, 1.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 78.45 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 77.83 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 79.32 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 3 |
| 2000s | 79.72 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 78.49 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 80.63 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.35 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 78.11 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 85.28 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.17 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 84.69 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 85.54 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 3 Poland 85.94 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 3 Switzerland 85.89 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 4 Slovenia 85.64 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 4 Portugal 85.59 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 5 Estonia 85.26 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 5 Iceland 85.54 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 6 Latvia 82.17 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 7 Hungary 84.67 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 8 Luxembourg 84.41 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 8 Türkiye 65.21 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 9 Norway 84.15 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
More work & labour data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 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)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 84.69 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 85.54 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2022.
- What is the lowest employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.83 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 1997.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 6th out of 37 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and gender. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This dataset contains data on employment rates by educational attainment level, age group and gender. The default table displays 2025 data (or the latest available year) on the employment rates of 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary, upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary, or tertiary attainment. The selection can be changed to display data by more detailed educational attainment level, by programme orientation, by gender and by age group. Filter the time period to display historical data. Data for the latest available year are preliminary. Final data will be released on September 29, 2026. For more information, please consult the Education at a Glance web page and the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications.