UK employment rate compared with other countries
OECD figures put the UK's employment rate at 75.1% in 2025, the joint 13th-highest of the 37 OECD countries with a figure for that year. The range ran from 55.0% in Türkiye to 84.0% in Iceland. The simple average across the 37 was 72.1%, a difference of 2.9 percentage points from the UK's figure.
On the OECD's latest quarterly figures, the UK's employment rate was 75.1% in April to June 2026, the joint 13th-highest of the 38 countries in this table with a figure for that quarter.
| Rank | Country | 2025 (%) | 2016 | Latest quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland UK v Iceland | 84.0% | 86.5% | 81.5% April to June 2026 |
| 2 | Netherlands UK v Netherlands | 82.3% | 76.4% | 82.0% April to June 2026 |
| 3 | Japan UK v Japan | 80.1% | 74.5% | 80.5% April to June 2026 |
| 4 | Switzerland UK v Switzerland | 79.9% | 79.6% | 79.5% April to June 2026 |
| 5= | Australia UK v Australia | 77.2% | 72.4% | 77.1% April to June 2026 |
| 5= | Germany UK v Germany | 77.2% | 73.8% | 77.3% April to June 2026 |
| 5= | New Zealand UK v New Zealand | 77.2% | 75.6% | 77.1% April to June 2026 |
| 8 | Denmark UK v Denmark | 76.9% | 72.7% | 76.8% April to June 2026 |
| 9 | Norway UK v Norway | 76.6% | 75.1% | 76.3% April to June 2026 |
| 10 | Sweden UK v Sweden | 76.4% | 75.9% | 76.4% April to June 2026 |
| 11 | Czechia UK v Czechia | 75.7% | 72.0% | 76.1% April to June 2026 |
| 12 | Estonia UK v Estonia | 75.4% | 72.4% | 75.8% April to June 2026 |
| 13= | Hungary UK v Hungary | 75.1% | 66.5% | 75.1% April to June 2026 |
| 13= | United Kingdom | 75.1% | 74.4% | 75.1% April to June 2026 |
| 15 | Ireland UK v Ireland | 74.7% | 66.4% | 74.4% April to June 2026 |
| 16 | Austria UK v Austria | 74.3% | 71.6% | 74.5% April to June 2026 |
| 17 | Canada UK v Canada | 74.2% | 72.5% | 74.5% April to June 2026 |
| 18 | Lithuania UK v Lithuania | 74.1% | 69.4% | 74.3% April to June 2026 |
| 19 | Portugal UK v Portugal | 73.9% | 64.2% | 74.9% April to June 2026 |
| 20 | Slovenia UK v Slovenia | 72.9% | 65.3% | 72.7% April to June 2026 |
| 21 | Poland UK v Poland | 72.8% | 63.5% | 73.1% April to June 2026 |
| 22 | Slovakia UK v Slovakia | 72.3% | 66.7% | 72.1% April to June 2026 |
| 23 | Latvia UK v Latvia | 72.0% | 68.6% | 72.5% April to June 2026 |
| 24 | Finland UK v Finland | 71.9% | 68.2% | 71.2% April to June 2026 |
| 25 | South Korea UK v South Korea | 69.8% | 66.1% | 69.8% April to June 2026 |
| 26 | Israel UK v Israel | 69.4% | 68.6% | 69.0% April to June 2026 |
| 27 | France UK v France | 69.3% | 65.0% | 69.1% April to June 2026 |
| 28 | Luxembourg UK v Luxembourg | 69.2% | 65.6% | 68.9% April to June 2026 |
| 29 | Belgium UK v Belgium | 67.4% | 62.3% | 67.4% April to June 2026 |
| 30 | Spain UK v Spain | 67.0% | 59.6% | 67.6% April to June 2026 |
| 31 | Greece UK v Greece | 64.6% | 51.8% | 65.5% April to June 2026 |
| 32 | Chile UK v Chile | 64.4% | 63.3% | 64.4% April to June 2026 |
| 33 | Colombia UK v Colombia | 64.3% | 67.0% | 65.5% April to June 2026 |
| 34 | Mexico UK v Mexico | 63.3% | 61.0% | 63.2% April to June 2026 |
| 35 | Italy UK v Italy | 62.5% | 57.1% | 63.1% April to June 2026 |
| 36 | Costa Rica UK v Costa Rica | 61.1% | 58.7% | 61.2% April to June 2026 |
| 37 | Türkiye UK v Türkiye | 55.0% | 50.7% | 54.8% April to June 2026 |
No 2025 figure yet for United States.
The UK over ten years
From 2016 to 2025 the UK's figure was highest in 2019 (76.1%) and lowest in 2016 (74.4%).
The UK's figure was higher than the average in every year from 2016 to 2025.
In 2016 the UK ranked 8th of the 38 countries with a figure; in 2025 it ranked 13th of 37.
Five countries had a lower figure than the UK in 2016 and a higher one in 2025: Australia, Germany, Denmark, Czechia and Estonia.
How the OECD measures it
The OECD's employment rate is the number of people aged 15 to 64 in work as a percentage of everyone aged 15 to 64, from each country's labour force survey, as an annual average. Anyone who did at least one hour of paid work in the survey week counts as employed.
Countries compared: The 38 member countries of the OECD. The table uses the latest year for which the UK and at least three-quarters of the countries the OECD covers have a figure, so every value is for the same period.
Why this differs from the UK's own figures
The ONS's headline employment rate is for people aged 16 to 64, for a rolling three-month period, from the Labour Force Survey. The OECD uses ages 15 to 64 and annual averages so that countries can be compared; its UK figure is built from the ONS survey. The ONS has said Labour Force Survey estimates should be treated with caution because of lower response rates.
The UK's own latest figure, with its definition and release dates: UK employment rate.
Sources and receipts
Every value on this page was read from these addresses. The SHA-256 is the fingerprint of the file as downloaded, so a later change at the source can be detected.
- https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.SDD.TPS,DSD_LFS@DF_IALFS_EMP_WAP_Q,1.0/.EMP_WAP.PT_WAP_SUB._Z.Y…
OECD, Infra-annual labour statistics · read 2026-10-14 · SHA-256
7c9ae4785a805fb5… - OECD: Infra-annual labour statisticsThe publisher's page for this data, indicator EMP_WAP.
Common questions
Where does the UK rank for employment rate in OECD countries?
OECD figures for 2025 put the UK 13th (joint) of 37, counting from the highest, at 75.1%.
Which OECD country has the highest employment rate?
Iceland, at 84.0% in 2025 (OECD).
Which OECD country has the lowest employment rate?
Türkiye, at 55.0% in 2025 (OECD).
What is the OECD average employment rate?
The simple average of the 37 countries with figures for 2025 is 72.1%. The UK's figure is 75.1%.
How has the UK's employment rate changed since 2016?
OECD figures give 74.4% for 2016 and 75.1% for 2025; the ten-year chart above shows the years in between.
What is the latest monthly figure?
On the OECD's latest quarterly figures, the UK's employment rate was 75.1% in April to June 2026, the joint 13th-highest of the 38 countries in this table with a figure for that quarter.
Is this the same as the UK's official figure?
The ONS's headline employment rate is for people aged 16 to 64, for a rolling three-month period, from the Labour Force Survey. The OECD uses ages 15 to 64 and annual averages so that countries can be compared; its UK figure is built from the ONS survey.
More comparisons
- UK national debt compared with other countries
- UK GDP per head compared with other countries
- UK government spending compared with other countries
- UK tax revenue compared with other countries
- UK life expectancy compared with other countries
- UK health spending compared with other countries
Compare any two countries on GDP, inflation, unemployment, debt and life expectancy: country comparison tool.
These pages state each body's figures and the UK's position among them. They give no view on whether a figure is high or low. To report an error, send a correction request.