Population by labor force status in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Population by labor force status was 11.80 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
11.80 million people
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
36th
of 186 countries
All-time high
12.10 million people
in 2020
All-time low
11.00 million people
in 2006
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Population by labor force status in United Kingdom, 1991–2025
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population by labor force status in United Kingdom is 11.80 million people, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status in United Kingdom peaked at 12.10 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.00 million people, in 2006.
United Kingdom ranks 36th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Population by labor force status in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 11.10 million people | — |
| 1992 | 11.21 million people | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 11.30 million people | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 11.34 million people | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 11.34 million people | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 11.32 million people | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 11.31 million people | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 11.29 million people | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 11.27 million people | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 11.18 million people | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 11.08 million people | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 11.01 million people | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 11.02 million people | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 11.04 million people | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 11.02 million people | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 11.00 million people | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 11.01 million people | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 11.06 million people | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 11.12 million people | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 11.19 million people | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 11.27 million people | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 11.36 million people | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 11.46 million people | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 11.57 million people | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 11.69 million people | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 11.83 million people | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 11.96 million people | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 12.05 million people | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 12.09 million people | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 12.10 million people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 12.07 million people | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 12.02 million people | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 11.96 million people | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 11.88 million people | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 11.80 million people | -0.7% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 11.80 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 941,170 people, 12.5× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 11.80 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.31 million people, 9.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.28 million people | 11.10 million people | 11.34 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.05 million people | 11.00 million people | 11.18 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.65 million people | 11.19 million people | 12.09 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.97 million people | 11.80 million people | 12.10 million people | 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 population by labor force status in United Kingdom?
- Population by labor force status in United Kingdom was 11.80 million people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 12.10 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.00 million people in 2006.
- How does United Kingdom rank for population by labor force status?
- United Kingdom ranks 36th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population below working age (under 15 years old).