Employment to population ratio in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Employment to population ratio was 58.46 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
58.46
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
87th
of 186 countries
All-time high
60.34
in 2019
All-time low
54.71
in 1993
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Employment to population ratio in United Kingdom, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment to population ratio in United Kingdom is 58.46, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio in United Kingdom peaked at 60.34 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 54.71, in 1993.
United Kingdom ranks 87th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 56.68 | — |
| 1992 | 55.52 | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 54.71 | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 54.96 | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 55.36 | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 55.73 | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 56.56 | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 57 | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 57.4 | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 57.93 | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 58.1 | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 58.17 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 58.42 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 58.6 | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 58.65 | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 58.7 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 58.6 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 58.61 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 57.23 | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 56.87 | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 56.72 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 56.86 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 57.2 | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 58.16 | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 58.79 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 59.34 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 59.6 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 60.02 | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 60.34 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 59.77 | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 58.96 | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 59.57 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 59.32 | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 58.87 | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 58.46 | -0.7% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 58.46 is below the median for high income countries, which is 58.89, 99% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 58.46 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 56.56, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 55.99 | 54.71 | 57.4 | 9 |
| 2000s | 58.3 | 57.23 | 58.7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.39 | 56.72 | 60.34 | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.16 | 58.46 | 59.77 | 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 to population ratio in United Kingdom?
- Employment to population ratio in United Kingdom was 58.46 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment to population ratio recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 60.34 in 2019.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.71 in 1993.
- How does United Kingdom rank for employment to population ratio?
- United Kingdom ranks 87th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Employment to population ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).