LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for was 3.83 in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
3.83
Change on year
down 8.2%
World rank
55th
of 65 countries
All-time high
7.5
in 2010
All-time low
3.83
in 2019
Years of data
20
2000–2019

LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in United Kingdom, 2000–2019

024682000200920192000: 6.62001: 62002: 6.22003: 5.72004: 5.52005: 5.52006: 5.92007: 5.72008: 5.72009: 7.32010: 7.52011: 7.42012: 72013: 6.92014: 5.92015: 5.42016: 5.12017: 4.32018: 4.22019: 3.8

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

United Kingdom recorded 3.83 for lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.

The figure is down 8.2% on the previous year and down 47.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in United Kingdom peaked at 7.5 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 3.83, in 2019.

That places United Kingdom 55th out of 65 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.

LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in United Kingdom, year by year

Annual values for LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for persons ages 25 to 54 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United Kingdom, 2000 to 2019.
Year Value Change
2000 6.64
2001 5.97 -10.1%
2002 6.16 +3.1%
2003 5.75 -6.7%
2004 5.53 -3.9%
2005 5.47 -1.1%
2006 5.94 +8.7%
2007 5.71 -3.8%
2008 5.67 -0.8%
2009 7.26 +28.2%
2010 7.5 +3.2%
2011 7.37 -1.7%
2012 7.05 -4.4%
2013 6.88 -2.3%
2014 5.93 -13.9%
2015 5.36 -9.5%
2016 5.11 -4.6%
2017 4.28 -16.3%
2018 4.17 -2.5%
2019 3.83 -8.2%

United Kingdom compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom's 3.83 is below the median for high income countries, which is 6.97, 55% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom's 3.83 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 8.16, 47% of the median. (30 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2009 +28.2% 5.67 7.26

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 6.01 5.47 7.26 10
2010s 5.75 3.83 7.5 10

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 52 Hungary 4.43 compare
  2. 53 Pakistan 4.13 compare
  3. 54 United States 3.86 compare
  4. 56 Sri Lanka 3.54 compare
  5. 57 Philippines 3.48 compare
  6. 58 Slovenia 3.42 compare

See the full ranking of 65 places →

More work & labour data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in United Kingdom?
Lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in United Kingdom was 3.83 in 2019, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 7.5 in 2010.
What is the lowest lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 3.83 in 2019.
How does United Kingdom rank for lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for?
United Kingdom ranks 55th out of 65 countries with data for 2019.
Is lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is down 47.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for persons ages 25 to 54 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/lu3-combined-rate-of-unemployment-and-potential-labour-force-for-persons-ages-25-to-54/united-kingdom/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/lu3-combined-rate-of-unemployment-and-potential-labour-force-for-persons-ages-25-to-54/united-kingdom/">LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in United Kingdom</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for persons ages 25 to 54 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
65 places, 981 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed

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. LU3 represents the share of the extended labour force, in this case for persons of prime age (i.e., persons ages 25 to 54), that are in unemployment or the potential labour force. For more information, refer to the Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Indicators (GEND) database description.