UK unemployment rate

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), series MGSX. Monthly, usually a Tuesday in the middle of the month, 7am (ONS labour market release); next release 20 October 2026

UK unemployment rate: every value, by year, with a CSV download →

What it measures

The unemployment rate is the share of the economically active population aged 16 and over who are unemployed. Under the international (ILO) definition the ONS uses, a person is unemployed if they are without a job, have looked for work in the last four weeks and can start within two weeks, or are waiting to start a job they have already found. People who are not looking for work, such as many students, carers and retired people, are counted as economically inactive, not unemployed. The rate is therefore not the share of the whole population without a job.

How to read it

Each figure is a rolling three-month average, so the latest value covers three months and overlaps the previous one; the ONS compares it with the preceding non-overlapping three months. The figures come from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), a household sample survey, so they carry sampling error and month-to-month changes are often within the margin of uncertainty. The ONS has reported lower LFS response rates in recent years and publishes regular LFS quality updates; read the quality notes in the latest bulletin before drawing conclusions from small changes. The claimant count of people claiming unemployment-related benefits is a different measure and should not be quoted as the unemployment rate. Read unemployment together with the employment rate and inactivity rate.

Background

The ONS series starts with January to March 1971. Its highest rate, 11.9%, was recorded in three overlapping periods in 1984, and its lowest, 3.4%, in late 1973 and early 1974. The LFS has run since 1973 and became quarterly in 1992. The ONS is developing a Transformed Labour Force Survey to replace it and publishes progress in its labour market transformation articles. Labour market statistics for the UK are published monthly in the ONS labour market overview.

Other parts of the UK

ONS: Labour market in the regions of the UK · Nomis: official labour market statistics for local areas · Scottish Government labour market statistics · Welsh Government labour market overview · NISRA Labour Force Survey (Northern Ireland)

Why is the unemployment rate not the same as the number of people out of work?

The rate only counts people who are actively looking for and available to start work, as a share of those working or looking for work. Millions of people aged 16 to 64 without jobs are economically inactive, for example because they are studying, caring, long-term sick or retired early. The ONS publishes inactivity separately, so "out of work" claims should say which group they mean.

What is the difference between unemployment and the claimant count?

Unemployment is measured by the Labour Force Survey using the international definition. The claimant count is an administrative count of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or Universal Credit and required to look for work. Because Universal Credit also covers some people in low-paid work, the claimant count is not a direct measure of unemployment. The ONS publishes both in its monthly labour market release.

What do the three months in the unemployment figure mean?

The headline covers a rolling three-month period, such as May to July, and is published about six weeks after that period ends. Using three months of survey responses makes the estimate more reliable than a single month would be. The next month's release covers June to August, so consecutive headlines share two of the same months.

Related questions

• What is the UK unemployment rate?
• How is UK unemployment calculated?
• How many people claim benefits in the UK?

More on this source: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics and Stat-Xplore