Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates was 87.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 87.4% for ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in 2025.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 87.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 70.5%, in 1990.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 40th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 70.5% | — |
| 1991 | 70.9% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 71.8% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 73.0% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 73.5% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 73.8% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 74.8% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 75.4% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 75.8% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 76.5% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 77.0% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 77.5% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 78.5% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 78.2% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 79.2% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 79.5% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 79.9% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 79.6% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 79.9% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 80.8% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 81.1% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 81.5% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 81.7% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 82.6% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 83.0% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 83.3% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 83.9% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 84.4% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 84.6% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 86.0% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 86.9% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 87.7% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 87.0% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 86.3% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 87.3% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 87.4% | +0.1% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 87.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 83.3%, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 87.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 83.3%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 73.6% | 70.5% | 76.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.0% | 77.0% | 80.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.2% | 81.1% | 86.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.1% | 86.3% | 87.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More work & labour data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 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)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 87.4% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest ratio of female to male labor force participation rates recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 87.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rates recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.5% in 1990.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rates?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 40th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This ratio is calculated by dividing the labor force participation rate among women by the corresponding rate for men. The labor force participation rate is the share of the working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).