Unemployment rate of men vs. women in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Unemployment rate of men vs. women was 5.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate of men vs. women in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 5.1% for unemployment rate of men vs. women in 2025.
That represents a change of up 10.7% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate of men vs. women in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 12.4% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 3.8%, in 2019.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 88th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate of men vs. women in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 9.4% | — |
| 1992 | 11.6% | +23.0% |
| 1993 | 12.4% | +6.9% |
| 1994 | 11.5% | -7.7% |
| 1995 | 10.1% | -11.7% |
| 1996 | 9.7% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 8.1% | -16.4% |
| 1998 | 6.9% | -15.0% |
| 1999 | 6.8% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 6.1% | -9.5% |
| 2001 | 5.2% | -15.6% |
| 2002 | 5.6% | +8.2% |
| 2003 | 5.4% | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 4.9% | -9.1% |
| 2005 | 5.3% | +7.2% |
| 2006 | 5.8% | +10.2% |
| 2007 | 5.7% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 6.2% | +9.9% |
| 2009 | 8.7% | +39.4% |
| 2010 | 8.8% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 8.8% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 8.8% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 8.3% | -6.1% |
| 2014 | 6.7% | -19.1% |
| 2015 | 5.7% | -14.7% |
| 2016 | 5.0% | -11.6% |
| 2017 | 4.6% | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 4.2% | -8.8% |
| 2019 | 3.8% | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 4.8% | +24.1% |
| 2021 | 5.1% | +6.8% |
| 2022 | 3.9% | -23.1% |
| 2023 | 4.3% | +10.8% |
| 2024 | 4.6% | +5.4% |
| 2025 | 5.1% | +10.7% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 5.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.9%, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 5.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.8%, 88% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.6% | 6.8% | 12.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.9% | 4.9% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.5% | 3.8% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.6% | 3.9% | 5.1% | 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 unemployment rate of men vs. women in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Unemployment rate of men vs. women in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 5.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate of men vs. women recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 12.4% in 1993.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate of men vs. women recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.8% in 2019.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for unemployment rate of men vs. women?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 88th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate of men vs. women rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate of men vs. women. 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
Share of the male labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon.