Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 was 53.7 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
53.7
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
25th
of 171 countries
All-time high
67.7
in 1989
All-time low
51.89
in 2021
Years of data
47
1961–2025
Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in United Kingdom, 1961–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in United Kingdom is 53.7, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 2.8% on the previous year and down 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in United Kingdom peaked at 67.7 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 51.89, in 2021.
That places United Kingdom 25th out of 171 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 67.14 | — |
| 1966 | 64.04 | -4.6% |
| 1971 | 58.06 | -9.3% |
| 1981 | 56.39 | -2.9% |
| 1983 | 58.55 | +3.8% |
| 1984 | 60.13 | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 63.72 | +6.0% |
| 1986 | 64.14 | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 65.53 | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 65.41 | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 67.7 | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 66.69 | -1.5% |
| 1991 | 65.42 | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 62.95 | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 61.41 | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 60.03 | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 59.22 | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 60.22 | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 60.14 | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 59.74 | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 59.16 | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 59.79 | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 58.13 | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 59.19 | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 58.26 | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 59.11 | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 58.41 | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 58.97 | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 57.91 | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 57.45 | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 56.27 | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 55.12 | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 54.93 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 55.62 | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 55.23 | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 55.51 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 56.4 | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 56.53 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 56.04 | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 54.83 | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 54.28 | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 54.48 | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 51.89 | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 54.32 | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 52.35 | -3.6% |
| 2024 | 52.24 | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 53.7 | +2.8% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 53.7 is above the median for high income countries, which is 36.18, 1.5× the median. (69 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 53.7 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 32.3, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 65.59 | 64.04 | 67.14 | 2 |
| 1970s | 58.06 | 58.06 | 58.06 | 1 |
| 1980s | 62.7 | 56.39 | 67.7 | 8 |
| 1990s | 61.5 | 59.16 | 66.69 | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.35 | 56.27 | 59.79 | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.45 | 54.28 | 56.53 | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.16 | 51.89 | 54.48 | 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 labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in United Kingdom?
- Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in United Kingdom was 53.7 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 67.7 in 1989.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.89 in 2021.
- How does United Kingdom rank for labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980?
- United Kingdom ranks 25th out of 171 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. 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 rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980. 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).