Labor force participation rate for women ages 15-24, 1980 vs. 2023 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Labor force participation rate for women ages 15-24, 1980 vs. 2023 was 53.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate for women ages 15-24, 1980 vs. 2023 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1961–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force participation rate for women ages 15-24, 1980 vs. 2023 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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 rate for women ages 15-24, 1980 vs. 2023 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 67.7% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 51.9%, in 2021.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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 rate for women ages 15-24, 1980 vs. 2023 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 67.1% | — |
| 1966 | 64.0% | -4.6% |
| 1971 | 58.1% | -9.3% |
| 1981 | 56.4% | -2.9% |
| 1983 | 58.6% | +3.8% |
| 1984 | 60.1% | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 63.7% | +6.0% |
| 1986 | 64.1% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 65.5% | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 65.4% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 67.7% | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 66.7% | -1.5% |
| 1991 | 65.4% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 63.0% | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 61.4% | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 60.0% | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 59.2% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 60.2% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 60.1% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 59.7% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 59.2% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 59.8% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 58.1% | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 59.2% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 58.3% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 59.1% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 58.4% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 59.0% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 57.9% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 57.5% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 56.3% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 55.1% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 54.9% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 55.6% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 55.2% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 55.5% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 56.4% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 56.5% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 56.0% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 54.8% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 54.3% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 54.5% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 51.9% | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 54.3% | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 52.4% | -3.6% |
| 2024 | 52.2% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 53.7% | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 65.6% | 64.0% | 67.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 58.1% | 58.1% | 58.1% | 1 |
| 1980s | 62.7% | 56.4% | 67.7% | 8 |
| 1990s | 61.5% | 59.2% | 66.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.4% | 56.3% | 59.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.4% | 54.3% | 56.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.2% | 51.9% | 54.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 22 United States of America 54.9% compare
- 23 Austria 54.8% compare
- 24 Finland 54.2% compare
- 26 Lao People's Democratic Republic 53.5% compare
- 27 Saint Lucia 53.5% compare
- 28 Angola 53.4% compare
More work & labour data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 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)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate for women ages 15-24, 1980 vs. 2023 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Labor force participation rate for women ages 15-24, 1980 vs. 2023 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 53.7% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate for women ages 15-24, 1980 vs. 2023 recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 67.7% in 1989.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate for women ages 15-24, 1980 vs. 2023 recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.9% in 2021.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for labor force participation rate for women ages 15-24, 1980 vs. 2023?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 25th out of 171 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate for women ages 15-24, 1980 vs. 2023 rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 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 of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate for women ages 15-24, 1980 vs. 2023. 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
Share of the female working-age population aged 15-24 who are economically active (employed or unemployed). Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.