Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 was 56.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1978–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 56.6%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 56.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 34.1%, in 1978.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 54th out of 172 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 34.1% | — |
| 1979 | 35.1% | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 35.1% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 41.2% | +17.4% |
| 1984 | 42.4% | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 43.3% | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 43.8% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 44.8% | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 46.3% | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 48.4% | +4.6% |
| 1990 | 49.0% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 48.4% | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 48.5% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 48.4% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 48.6% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 48.8% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 49.5% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 50.2% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 50.5% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 51.0% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 51.6% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 51.9% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 52.3% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 52.3% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 52.6% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 52.8% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 53.0% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 52.7% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 52.9% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 52.3% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 52.0% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 51.9% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 52.0% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 52.6% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 53.5% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 54.0% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 54.7% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 55.1% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 55.5% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 56.4% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 56.2% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 55.7% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 56.1% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 56.0% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 56.0% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 56.6% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 34.6% | 34.1% | 35.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 43.2% | 35.1% | 48.4% | 8 |
| 1990s | 49.3% | 48.4% | 51.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 52.4% | 51.6% | 53.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.8% | 51.9% | 56.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.1% | 55.7% | 56.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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)
- 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)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 56.6% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 56.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.1% in 1978.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 54th out of 172 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. 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 Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the female working-age population who are employed. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.