Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) was 35,877 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United Kingdom, 1995–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United Kingdom is 35,877, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United Kingdom peaked at 35,877 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 28,463, in 1995.
United Kingdom ranks 7th of 77 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 28,463 | — |
| 1996 | 28,624 | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 28,780 | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 28,838 | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 28,602 | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 28,868 | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 28,892 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 29,201 | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 29,456 | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 29,665 | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 29,956 | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 30,565 | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 30,718 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 31,287 | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 31,443 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 31,598 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 31,862 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 32,155 | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 32,422 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 32,681 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 32,967 | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 33,280 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 33,436 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 33,809 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 34,017 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 34,158 | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 33,809 | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 33,989 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 34,399 | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 34,911 | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 35,877 | +2.8% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 35,877 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,307, 10.8× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 35,877 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,307, 10.8× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28,661 | 28,463 | 28,838 | 5 |
| 2000s | 30,005 | 28,868 | 31,443 | 10 |
| 2010s | 32,823 | 31,598 | 34,017 | 10 |
| 2020s | 34,524 | 33,809 | 35,877 | 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 labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United Kingdom?
- Labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United Kingdom was 35,877 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 35,877 in 2025.
- What is the lowest labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 28,463 in 1995.
- How does United Kingdom rank for labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- United Kingdom ranks 7th out of 77 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
The labour force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed. For more information, refer to the International Labour Migration Statistics (ILMS) database description.