Male labor participation rate in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Male labor participation rate was 65.6 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
65.6
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
132nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
73.81
in 1990
All-time low
65.6
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Male labor participation rate in United Kingdom, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 65.6 for male labor participation rate in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, male labor participation rate in United Kingdom peaked at 73.81 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 65.6, in 2025.
That places United Kingdom 132nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Male labor participation rate in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 73.81 | — |
| 1991 | 73.16 | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 72.22 | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 71.05 | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 70.62 | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 70.24 | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 69.93 | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 69.82 | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 69.56 | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 69.64 | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 69.71 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 69.05 | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 68.96 | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 69.23 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 68.86 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 69.01 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 69.34 | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 69.25 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 69.41 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 68.84 | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 68.5 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 68.29 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 68.44 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 68.12 | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 68.08 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 68.1 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 68.04 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 67.83 | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 67.99 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 67.46 | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 67.09 | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 66.13 | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 66.32 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 66.46 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 65.82 | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 65.6 | -0.3% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 65.6 is below the median for high income countries, which is 68.77, 95% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 65.6 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 66.3, 99% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 71.01 | 69.56 | 73.81 | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.17 | 68.84 | 69.71 | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.09 | 67.46 | 68.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.24 | 65.6 | 67.09 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 129 Germany 66.05 compare
- 130 Azerbaijan 66.02 compare
- 131 Senegal 65.71 compare
- 133 Poland 65.59 compare
- 134 Luxembourg 65.5 compare
- 135 Montenegro 65.44 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 male labor participation rate in United Kingdom?
- Male labor participation rate in United Kingdom was 65.6 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest male labor participation rate recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 73.81 in 1990.
- What is the lowest male labor participation rate recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.6 in 2025.
- How does United Kingdom rank for male labor participation rate?
- United Kingdom ranks 132nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is male labor participation rate rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Male labor participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).