Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) was 8,168 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Public sector employment in United Kingdom, 2018–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, public sector employment in United Kingdom stood at 8,168. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
The figure is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 17.1% over ten years.
That places United Kingdom 3rd out of 42 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 6,978 | — |
| 2019 | 6,830 | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 7,433 | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 7,647 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 7,706 | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 7,778 | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 7,835 | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 8,168 | +4.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 8,168 is above the median for high income countries, which is 799.42, 10.2× the median. (16 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 8,168 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 775.67, 10.5× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6,904 | 6,830 | 6,978 | 2 |
| 2020s | 7,761 | 7,433 | 8,168 | 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 public sector employment in United Kingdom?
- Public sector employment in United Kingdom was 8,168 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest public sector employment recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 8,168 in 2025.
- What is the lowest public sector employment recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,830 in 2019.
- How does United Kingdom rank for public sector employment?
- United Kingdom ranks 3rd out of 42 countries with data for 2025.
- Is public sector employment rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.1%. 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 Public sector employment (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 employed comprise all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). For more information, refer to the Worker and Sector Profiles (PROF) database description.