Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) was 35,877 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labour force in United Kingdom, 2005–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 35,877 for labour force in 2025. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
The figure is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force in United Kingdom peaked at 35,877 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 30,283, in 2005.
That places United Kingdom 5th out of 57 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 30,283 | — |
| 2006 | 30,782 | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 30,999 | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 31,365 | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 31,505 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 31,663 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 31,921 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 32,230 | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 31,917 | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 31,578 | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 33,002 | +4.5% |
| 2016 | 33,332 | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 33,516 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 33,809 | +0.9% |
| 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 4,460, 8.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 35,877 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,321, 10.8× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 30,987 | 30,283 | 31,505 | 5 |
| 2010s | 32,699 | 31,578 | 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 in United Kingdom?
- Labour force in United Kingdom was 35,877 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour force recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 35,877 in 2025.
- What is the lowest labour force recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 30,283 in 2005.
- How does United Kingdom rank for labour force?
- United Kingdom ranks 5th out of 57 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labour force rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. 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). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The labour force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed. The term disability, as defined in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), is used as an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. For measurement purposes, a person with disability is defined as a person who is limited in the kind or amount of activities that he or she can do because of ongoing difficulties due to a long-term physical condition, mental condition or health problem. For more information, refer to the Disability Labour Market Indicators (DLMI) database description.