Labor force participation rate by age in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Labor force participation rate by age was 52.69 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
52.69
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
41st
of 188 countries
All-time high
71.66
in 1990
All-time low
51.32
in 2021
Years of data
35
1990–2024
Labor force participation rate by age in United Kingdom, 1990–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, labor force participation rate by age in United Kingdom stood at 52.69.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate by age in United Kingdom peaked at 71.66 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 51.32, in 2021.
United Kingdom ranks 41st of 188 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate by age in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 71.66 | — |
| 1991 | 70.02 | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 67.82 | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 65.95 | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 64.57 | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 63.6 | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 64.34 | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 64.29 | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 63.82 | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 63.04 | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 63.43 | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 61.93 | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 62.4 | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 61.18 | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 61.56 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 61.33 | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 61.45 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 60.6 | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 60.3 | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 58.24 | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 57.47 | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 57.27 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 57.77 | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 57.02 | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 57.01 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 57.83 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 57.26 | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 56.71 | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 56.35 | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 54.79 | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 54.77 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 51.32 | -6.3% |
| 2022 | 54.35 | +5.9% |
| 2023 | 53.74 | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 52.69 | -2.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 52.69 is above the median for high income countries, which is 40.59, 1.3× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 52.69 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.06, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 65.91 | 63.04 | 71.66 | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.24 | 58.24 | 63.43 | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.95 | 54.79 | 57.83 | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.37 | 51.32 | 54.77 | 5 |
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 labor force participation rate by age in United Kingdom?
- Labor force participation rate by age in United Kingdom was 52.69 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate by age recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 71.66 in 1990.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate by age recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.32 in 2021.
- How does United Kingdom rank for labor force participation rate by age?
- United Kingdom ranks 41st out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is labor force participation rate by age rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate by age. 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).