Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings was 16.8% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in United Kingdom, 1970–2016
Source: OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 16.8% for unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 47 years on record.
The figure is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 22.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in United Kingdom peaked at 47.6% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 16.8%, in 2016.
United Kingdom ranks 12th of 29 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 47.6% | — |
| 1971 | 45.5% | -4.4% |
| 1972 | 45.7% | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 46.4% | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 44.4% | -4.3% |
| 1975 | 39.9% | -10.1% |
| 1976 | 36.6% | -8.3% |
| 1977 | 35.8% | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 37.5% | +4.7% |
| 1979 | 38.3% | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 36.7% | -4.2% |
| 1981 | 35.4% | -3.5% |
| 1982 | 35.7% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 34.6% | -3.1% |
| 1984 | 35.1% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 35.1% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 34.9% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 34.5% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 34.0% | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 33.7% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 32.7% | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 31.1% | -4.9% |
| 1992 | 29.9% | -3.9% |
| 1993 | 28.7% | -4.0% |
| 1994 | 28.1% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 28.2% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 27.2% | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 26.9% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 27.0% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 26.1% | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 26.3% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 25.6% | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 24.4% | -4.7% |
| 2003 | 24.1% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 23.4% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 22.1% | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 21.7% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 21.6% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 21.9% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 20.7% | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 19.2% | -7.2% |
| 2011 | 18.2% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 17.8% | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 17.5% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 17.4% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 17.1% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 16.8% | -1.8% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 16.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 14.4%, 1.2× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 16.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 13.7%, 1.2× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 41.8% | 35.8% | 47.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 35.0% | 33.7% | 36.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.6% | 26.1% | 32.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.2% | 20.7% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.7% | 16.8% | 19.2% | 7 |
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 unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in United Kingdom?
- Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in United Kingdom was 16.8% in 2016, according to OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unadjusted gender gap in median earnings recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 47.6% in 1970.
- What is the lowest unadjusted gender gap in median earnings recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.8% in 2016.
- How does United Kingdom rank for unadjusted gender gap in median earnings?
- United Kingdom ranks 12th out of 29 countries with data for 2016.
- Is unadjusted gender gap in median earnings rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The gender wage gap is unadjusted and is defined as the difference between median earnings of men and women relative to median earnings of men. Estimates refer to full-time employees and to self-employed workers.