Female labor force participation rates in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Female labor force participation rates was 57.33 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
57.33
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
63rd
of 186 countries
All-time high
58.28
in 2020
All-time low
51.83
in 1992
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Female labor force participation rates in United Kingdom, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 57.33 for female labor force participation rates in 2025.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rates in United Kingdom peaked at 58.28 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 51.83, in 1992.
United Kingdom ranks 63rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Female labor force participation rates in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 52.01 | — |
| 1991 | 51.84 | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 51.83 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 51.9 | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 51.9 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 51.86 | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 52.28 | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 52.68 | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 52.72 | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 53.26 | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 53.66 | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 53.53 | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 54.15 | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 54.11 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 54.53 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 54.86 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 55.38 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 55.15 | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 55.45 | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 55.6 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 55.53 | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 55.67 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 55.93 | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 56.26 | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 56.52 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 56.72 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 57.07 | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 57.27 | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 57.52 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 58.04 | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 58.28 | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 58.02 | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 57.7 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 57.38 | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 57.49 | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 57.33 | -0.3% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 57.33 is above the median for high income countries, which is 55.09, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 57.33 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 54.59, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 52.23 | 51.83 | 53.26 | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.64 | 53.53 | 55.6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.65 | 55.53 | 58.04 | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.7 | 57.33 | 58.28 | 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 female labor force participation rates in United Kingdom?
- Female labor force participation rates in United Kingdom was 57.33 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force participation rates recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 58.28 in 2020.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rates recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.83 in 1992.
- How does United Kingdom rank for female labor force participation rates?
- United Kingdom ranks 63rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female labor force participation rates rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. 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 Female labor force participation rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).