Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group was 4.22 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1997–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 4.22 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup.
That represents a change of up 12.4% on the previous year and down 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 7.83 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in 2011 and was at its lowest, 3.19 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup, in 2019.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 28th of 37 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 6.95 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | — |
| 1998 | 6.24 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -10.2% |
| 1999 | 5.73 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -8.1% |
| 2000 | 5.09 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -11.2% |
| 2001 | 4.82 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -5.2% |
| 2002 | 4.94 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 4.65 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -5.8% |
| 2004 | 4.45 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 4.26 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 5.12 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +20.4% |
| 2007 | 4.27 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -16.7% |
| 2008 | 5.63 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +31.9% |
| 2009 | 7.6 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +34.9% |
| 2010 | 7.12 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -6.3% |
| 2011 | 7.83 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +10.0% |
| 2012 | 7.08 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -9.5% |
| 2013 | 6.44 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -9.1% |
| 2014 | 5.01 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -22.2% |
| 2015 | 4.94 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 4.47 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -9.5% |
| 2017 | 3.76 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -15.8% |
| 2018 | 3.57 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -5.1% |
| 2019 | 3.19 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -10.6% |
| 2020 | 3.74 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +17.2% |
| 2021 | 3.67 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 3.29 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 3.42 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +4.1% |
| 2024 | 3.76 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +9.7% |
| 2025 | 4.22 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +12.4% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 4.22 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.83 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup, 62% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 4.22 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup is below the median for high income countries, which is 6.58 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup, 64% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.31 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 5.73 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 6.95 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 3 |
| 2000s | 5.08 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 4.26 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 7.6 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.34 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 3.19 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 7.83 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.68 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 3.29 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 4.22 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 25 Germany 4.85 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup compare
- 26 New Zealand 4.75 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup compare
- 27 United States of America 4.3 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup compare
- 29 Israel 3.91 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup compare
- 30 Bulgaria 3.86 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup compare
- 31 Norway 3.83 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup compare
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 rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 4.22 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 7.83 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in 2011.
- What is the lowest unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.19 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in 2019.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 28th out of 37 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.5%. 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 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and gender. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This dataset contains data on unemployment rates by educational attainment level, age group and gender. The default table displays 2025 data (or the latest available year) on the unemployment rates of 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary, upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary, or tertiary attainment. The selection can be changed to display data by more detailed educational attainment level, by programme orientation, by gender and by age group. Filter the time period to display historical data. Data for the latest available year are preliminary. Final data will be released on September 29, 2026. For more information, please consult the Education at a Glance web page and the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications.