Part time employment, female (% of total female employment) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Part time employment, female (% of total female employment) was 53.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Part time employment, female in United Kingdom, 1983–2025
Source: Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total female employment.
Analysis
The most recent figure for part time employment, female in United Kingdom is 53.5%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, part time employment, female in United Kingdom peaked at 61.5% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 53.4%, in 2024.
United Kingdom ranks 15th of 115 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Part time employment, female (% of total female employment) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % of total female employment | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 57.8% | — |
| 1984 | 61.4% | +6.1% |
| 1985 | 59.3% | -3.3% |
| 1986 | 60.1% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 61.5% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 58.7% | -4.6% |
| 1989 | 59.9% | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 60.4% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 58.9% | -2.5% |
| 1992 | 60.4% | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 60.0% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 60.4% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 60.1% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 59.8% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 60.6% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 59.9% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 54.4% | -9.3% |
| 2000 | 55.2% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 54.8% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 54.8% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 55.2% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 59.6% | +8.0% |
| 2005 | 59.3% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 59.2% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 59.4% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 59.8% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 60.0% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 60.8% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 60.7% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 60.2% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 60.2% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 58.8% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 59.2% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 59.2% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 58.4% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 58.0% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 59.4% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 60.7% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 56.7% | -6.5% |
| 2022 | 54.9% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 54.9% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 53.4% | -2.7% |
| 2025 | 53.5% | +0.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 53.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 36.6%, 1.5× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 53.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 35.8%, 1.5× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 59.8% | 57.8% | 61.5% | 7 |
| 1990s | 59.5% | 54.4% | 60.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.7% | 54.8% | 60.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.5% | 58.0% | 60.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.7% | 53.4% | 60.7% | 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 part time employment, female in United Kingdom?
- Part time employment, female in United Kingdom was 53.5% in 2025, according to Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest part time employment, female recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 61.5% in 1987.
- What is the lowest part time employment, female recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.4% in 2024.
- How does United Kingdom rank for part time employment, female?
- United Kingdom ranks 15th out of 115 countries with data for 2025.
- Is part time employment, female rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Part time employment, female (% of total female employment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Part-time employment rate represents the percentage of employment that is part time. Part time employment in this series is based on a common definition of less than 35 actual weekly hours worked.