Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population) was 56.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force with basic education in United Kingdom, 1992–2025
Source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total working-age population with basic education.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force with basic education in United Kingdom is 56.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 17.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force with basic education in United Kingdom peaked at 78.5% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 56.5%, in 2025.
United Kingdom ranks 43rd of 125 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % of total working-age population with basic education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 71.4% | — |
| 1993 | 70.3% | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 69.6% | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 69.1% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 68.9% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 68.8% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 68.9% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 69.1% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 68.4% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 67.9% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 67.9% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 67.4% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 78.1% | +15.8% |
| 2006 | 78.5% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 78.1% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 73.0% | -6.6% |
| 2009 | 71.2% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 69.3% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 70.7% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 69.2% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 68.8% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 68.5% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 68.8% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 68.5% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 68.7% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 68.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 68.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 67.2% | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 65.6% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 58.1% | -11.4% |
| 2023 | 56.9% | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 56.7% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 56.5% | -0.3% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 56.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 41.5%, 1.4× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 56.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 33.5%, 1.7× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 69.6% | 68.8% | 71.4% | 7 |
| 2000s | 72.0% | 67.4% | 78.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.0% | 68.5% | 70.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.2% | 56.5% | 67.2% | 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 with basic education in United Kingdom?
- Labor force with basic education in United Kingdom was 56.5% in 2025, according to Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force with basic education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 78.5% in 2006.
- What is the lowest labor force with basic education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.5% in 2025.
- How does United Kingdom rank for labor force with basic education?
- United Kingdom ranks 43rd out of 125 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force with basic education rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The ratio of the labor force with basic education to the working-age population with basic education. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).