Labour force participation rates of adults, by educational in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Labour force participation rates of adults, by educational was 88.43 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labour force participation rates of adults, by educational in United Kingdom, 1997–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of population in the same subgroup.
Analysis
In 2025, labour force participation rates of adults, by educational in United Kingdom stood at 88.43 Percentage of population in the same subgroup.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force participation rates of adults, by educational in United Kingdom peaked at 88.85 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2020 and was at its lowest, 83.2 Percentage of population in the same subgroup, in 2003.
United Kingdom ranks 11th of 37 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Labour force participation rates of adults, by educational in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Percentage of population in the same subgroup | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 83.64 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | — |
| 1998 | 83.41 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 84.15 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 84.15 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 83.96 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 83.54 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 83.2 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 83.36 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 83.47 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 84.3 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 84.23 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 84.74 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 84.94 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 85.1 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 84.74 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 85.13 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 85.49 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 84.8 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 85.98 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 85.95 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 86.75 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 87.17 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 88.09 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 88.85 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 88.5 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 88.45 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 88.33 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 88.02 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 88.43 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 88.43 Percentage of population in the same subgroup is above the median for high income countries, which is 87.18 Percentage of population in the same subgroup, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 88.43 Percentage of population in the same subgroup is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 87.5 Percentage of population in the same subgroup, 1.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 83.73 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 83.41 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 84.15 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 3 |
| 2000s | 83.99 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 83.2 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 84.94 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.92 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 84.74 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 88.09 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.43 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 88.02 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 88.85 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 8 Ireland 88.69 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 8 Türkiye 72.54 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 9 Austria 88.62 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 10 Australia 88.45 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 12 Canada 88.38 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 13 France 87.69 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 14 Norway 87.5 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
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 labour force participation rates of adults, by educational in United Kingdom?
- Labour force participation rates of adults, by educational in United Kingdom was 88.43 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest labour force participation rates of adults, by educational recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 88.85 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2020.
- What is the lowest labour force participation rates of adults, by educational recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 83.2 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2003.
- How does United Kingdom rank for labour force participation rates of adults, by educational?
- United Kingdom ranks 11th out of 37 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labour force participation rates of adults, by educational rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Labour force participation rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and gender. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This dataset contains data on labour force participation rates by educational attainment level, age group and gender. The default table displays 2025 data (or the latest available year) on the labour force participation rates of 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary, upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary, or tertiary attainment. The selection can be changed to display data by more detailed educational attainment level, by programme orientation, by gender and by age group. Filter the time period to display historical data. Data for the latest available year are preliminary. Final data will be released on September 29, 2026. For more information, please consult the Education at a Glance web page and the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications.