Gender wage gap in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Gender wage gap was 16.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Gender wage gap in United Kingdom, 1995–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gender wage gap in United Kingdom is 16.3%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.7% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender wage gap in United Kingdom peaked at 21.0% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 14.6%, in 2023.
That places United Kingdom 13th out of 67 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.7% | 19.5% | 19.8% | 3 |
| 2000s | 19.6% | 18.9% | 21.0% | 5 |
| 2010s | 18.4% | 17.4% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.4% | 14.6% | 18.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More work & labour data for United Kingdom
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 61.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 65.6% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 87.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 57.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 76.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 73.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender wage gap in United Kingdom?
- Gender wage gap in United Kingdom was 16.3% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender wage gap recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 21.0% in 2006.
- What is the lowest gender wage gap recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.6% in 2023.
- How does United Kingdom rank for gender wage gap?
- United Kingdom ranks 13th out of 67 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gender wage gap rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender wage gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Difference between average earnings of men and average earnings of women expressed as a percentage of average earnings of men.