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Unemployment rate in United Kingdom

How hard is it to have a job there?

United Kingdom's unemployment rate is 4.75 % — #51 of 124 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

4.75%

Checked 8 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt)

Unemployment rate in United Kingdom over time

8.28 %5.97 %3.66 %8.28 % · 20123.66 % · 20192000: 5.56 %2001: 4.70 %2002: 5.04 %2003: 4.81 %2004: 4.59 %2005: 4.88 %2006: 5.47 %2007: 5.40 %2008: 5.75 %2009: 7.68 %2010: 7.97 %2011: 8.20 %2012: 8.28 %2013: 7.75 %2014: 6.40 %2015: 5.55 %2016: 4.91 %2017: 4.50 %2018: 4.14 %2019: 3.66 %2020: 4.47 %2021: 4.86 %2022: 3.77 %2023: 4.03 %2024: 4.36 %2025: 4.75 %2000201220254.75 %
26 official observations, 2000 → 2025. Every point is a published value — never interpolated.
Rank
#51 of 124
lower is better
Ranked behind
59 %
73 of 124 countries
Latest move
▲ 0.39 pp
since 2024
Below its peak
3.53 pp
peak 8.28 % in 2012
Full series
▼ 0.81 pp
since 2000

In Europe: #14 of 36vs median 5.25 %: −0.51 pp (better)

Among 124 countries

6 of 124 countries between 0.78 % and 1.53 %6 of 124 countries between 1.53 % and 2.28 %12 of 124 countries between 2.28 % and 3.03 %16 of 124 countries between 3.03 % and 3.78 %7 of 124 countries between 3.78 % and 4.53 %15 of 124 countries between 4.53 % and 5.28 %14 of 124 countries between 5.28 % and 6.02 %7 of 124 countries between 6.02 % and 6.77 %6 of 124 countries between 6.77 % and 7.52 %2 of 124 countries between 7.52 % and 8.27 %10 of 124 countries between 8.27 % and 9.02 %3 of 124 countries between 9.02 % and 9.77 %3 of 124 countries between 9.77 % and 10.52 %2 of 124 countries between 10.52 % and 11.27 %3 of 124 countries between 11.27 % and 12.02 %1 of 124 countries between 12.02 % and 12.77 %1 of 124 countries between 12.77 % and 13.51 %2 of 124 countries between 13.51 % and 14.26 %1 of 124 countries between 14.26 % and 15.01 %2 of 124 countries between 15.01 % and 15.76 %1 of 124 countries between 16.51 % and 17.26 %4 of 124 countries between 18.01 % and 18.76 %median 5.23 %United Kingdom: ahead of 59 % of the 124 countries with a published unemploymentUnited Kingdom 4.75 %0.78 %18.76 %
Half of all 124 countries sit between 3.30 % and 8.30 %. United Kingdom is ahead of 59 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 5 values beyond it sit in the end bars.

The neighbourhood

#CountryUnemploymentvs United Kingdom
49 Ireland4.63 %−0.11 pp
50 Norway4.64 %−0.11 pp
51 United Kingdom4.75 %—
52 Kazakhstan4.77 %+0.02 pp
53 Switzerland4.87 %+0.13 pp

Unemployment, share of the labour force (World Bank / ILO estimate).

How to read this figure

Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it (World Bank / ILO harmonised estimate). People outside the labour force — students, carers, the discouraged — are not counted.

Next, about United Kingdom

Average monthly salaryGDP growthGDP per capita
Unemployment rate, all countries ranked →Compare United Kingdom with another country →Everything about United Kingdom →
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