Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) was 89.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in United Kingdom, 1961–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 89.0% for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in United Kingdom peaked at 89.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 43.2%, in 1961.
That places United Kingdom 33rd out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 43.2% | — |
| 1966 | 50.0% | +15.7% |
| 1971 | 52.4% | +4.7% |
| 1978 | 59.5% | +13.7% |
| 1979 | 61.0% | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 61.1% | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 58.6% | -4.1% |
| 1983 | 62.2% | +6.2% |
| 1984 | 64.2% | +3.1% |
| 1985 | 65.5% | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 66.5% | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 67.7% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 68.3% | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 69.9% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 70.5% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 70.8% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 71.7% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 73.0% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 73.4% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 73.7% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 74.5% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 75.2% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 75.5% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 76.7% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 77.2% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 77.7% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 78.7% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 78.3% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 79.3% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 79.6% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 80.0% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 79.8% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 80.1% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 81.0% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 81.3% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 81.8% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 82.0% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 82.8% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 83.2% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 83.5% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 84.1% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 84.7% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 84.9% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 86.4% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 87.3% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 88.2% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 87.5% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 87.3% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 88.8% | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 89.0% | +0.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 89.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 85.1%, 1.0× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 89.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 85.0%, 1.0× the median. (54 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 46.6% | 43.2% | 50.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 57.6% | 52.4% | 61.0% | 3 |
| 1980s | 64.9% | 58.6% | 69.9% | 9 |
| 1990s | 73.5% | 70.5% | 76.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.2% | 77.2% | 81.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.5% | 81.3% | 86.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.0% | 87.3% | 89.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 30 Australia 89.2% compare
- 31 New Zealand 89.2% compare
- 32 Norway 89.0% compare
- 34 Azerbaijan 88.9% compare
- 35 Luxembourg 88.9% compare
- 36 Botswana 88.9% 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 ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in United Kingdom?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in United Kingdom was 89.0% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 89.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.2% in 1961.
- How does United Kingdom rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%)?
- United Kingdom ranks 33rd out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate is the proportion of female labor force participation relative to male labor force participation. The labor force participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the population ages 15 and older. The labor force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed.