{"version":1,"asset_type":"statistical_series","data_type":"time_series","slug":"gb-unemployment-rate-ilo","url":"https://apiardata.com/statistics/gb-unemployment-rate-ilo","html_url":"https://apiardata.com/statistics/gb-unemployment-rate-ilo/","title":"United Kingdom Unemployment Rate (ILO, % of Labor Force) (2025)","description":"United Kingdom's Unemployment Rate (ILO, % of Labor Force): 4.7 % of labor force (ILO methodology) in 2025, +0.3pp YoY.","domain":"labor","category":"Labour & Employment","keywords":["Labour & Employment","World Bank","United Kingdom","2025"],"publisher":"World Bank","frequency":"Annual","geography":"United Kingdom","temporal_coverage":"1990/2025","unit":"% of labor force (ILO methodology)","last_updated":"2026-04-26","last_updated_text":"26 April 2026","data_as_of":"2025","variable_measured":"United Kingdom Unemployment Rate (ILO, % of Labor Force)","license":"https://apiardata.com/data-license","is_accessible_for_free":true,"sources":[{"name":"World Bank","url":"https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS?locations=GB"}],"meta":[{"label":"Frequency","value":"Annual"},{"label":"Coverage","value":"1990–2025"},{"label":"Observations","value":"35"},{"label":"Geography","value":"United Kingdom"},{"label":"Last updated","value":"26 April 2026"}],"kpis":[{"label":"United Kingdom (2025)","value":"4.7","unit":"% of labor force (ILO methodology)","trend":{"direction":"up","value":"+0.3pp YoY"}},{"label":"YoY Change","value":"+0.3pp","unit":"percentage points"},{"label":"Trend","value":"up","unit":""},{"label":"Series length","value":"35","unit":"years of data"}],"series":[{"key":"value","label":"United Kingdom Unemployment Rate (ILO, % of Labor Force)"}],"observation_count":35,"observations":[{"period":"1991","value":8.55},{"period":"1992","value":9.772},{"period":"1993","value":10.346},{"period":"1994","value":9.648},{"period":"1995","value":8.694},{"period":"1996","value":8.189},{"period":"1997","value":7.072},{"period":"1998","value":6.198},{"period":"1999","value":6.042},{"period":"2000","value":5.558},{"period":"2001","value":4.696},{"period":"2002","value":5.037},{"period":"2003","value":4.807},{"period":"2004","value":4.594},{"period":"2005","value":4.884},{"period":"2006","value":5.472},{"period":"2007","value":5.399},{"period":"2008","value":5.748},{"period":"2009","value":7.683},{"period":"2010","value":7.973},{"period":"2011","value":8.195},{"period":"2012","value":8.279},{"period":"2013","value":7.752},{"period":"2014","value":6.398},{"period":"2015","value":5.552},{"period":"2016","value":4.909},{"period":"2017","value":4.501},{"period":"2018","value":4.145},{"period":"2019","value":3.657},{"period":"2020","value":4.472},{"period":"2021","value":4.864},{"period":"2022","value":3.768},{"period":"2023","value":4.025},{"period":"2024","value":4.361},{"period":"2025","value":4.746}],"table":{"columns":[{"key":"year","label":"Year"},{"key":"value","label":"% of labor force (ILO methodology)"},{"key":"yoyChange","label":"YoY Change"}],"rows":[{"year":"2025","value":"4.7","yoyChange":"+0.3pp"},{"year":"2024","value":"4.4","yoyChange":"+0.4pp"},{"year":"2023","value":"4.0","yoyChange":"+0.2pp"},{"year":"2022","value":"3.8","yoyChange":"-1.1pp"},{"year":"2021","value":"4.9","yoyChange":"+0.4pp"},{"year":"2020","value":"4.5","yoyChange":"+0.8pp"},{"year":"2019","value":"3.7","yoyChange":"-0.4pp"},{"year":"2018","value":"4.1","yoyChange":"-0.4pp"},{"year":"2017","value":"4.5","yoyChange":"-0.4pp"},{"year":"2016","value":"4.9","yoyChange":"-0.7pp"},{"year":"2015","value":"5.6","yoyChange":"-0.8pp"},{"year":"2014","value":"6.4","yoyChange":"-1.4pp"},{"year":"2013","value":"7.8","yoyChange":"-0.5pp"},{"year":"2012","value":"8.3","yoyChange":"+0.1pp"},{"year":"2011","value":"8.2","yoyChange":"+0.2pp"},{"year":"2010","value":"8.0","yoyChange":"+0.3pp"},{"year":"2009","value":"7.7","yoyChange":"+2pp"},{"year":"2008","value":"5.7","yoyChange":"+0.3pp"},{"year":"2007","value":"5.4","yoyChange":"-0.1pp"},{"year":"2006","value":"5.5","yoyChange":"+0.6pp"}]},"qa":[{"question":"What does the UK ILO unemployment rate measure and who compiles it?","answer":"The World Bank's UK ILO unemployment rate is derived from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Labour Force Survey, standardised to the International Labour Organization definition: a person is unemployed if they had no work in the reference week, were available to start within two weeks, and had actively sought work in the past four weeks. This ILO rate is comparable with EU member state rates published by Eurostat and differs from the UK's claimant count (Jobseeker's Allowance plus Universal Credit job-seeking claimants), which applies different eligibility criteria and typically reads 1–2 percentage points lower than the ILO rate."},{"question":"What has driven UK unemployment up from the 3.7% trough to 4.7%?","answer":"The UK's unemployment rate troughed at 3.7% in 2019 and rose to 4.7% by 2025. Two distinct episodes drove the increase: COVID-19 in 2020–2021 (cushioned by the furlough scheme, which at peak covered approximately 9 million workers and prevented a severe unemployment spike); and the post-furlough normalisation combined with a significant structural increase in economic inactivity driven by long-term sickness. The ONS has documented an unprecedented rise in working-age inactivity due to long-COVID, NHS waiting lists, and mental health conditions. These inactive persons are not counted as unemployed (they are not seeking work), but they represent a labour force withdrawal that reduces economic capacity and has been a persistent concern for the BoE's productivity outlook."},{"question":"How does UK unemployment compare with the US and major European economies?","answer":"At 4.7% in 2025, the UK's ILO unemployment rate is above Germany's (3.8%) but below France's (7.7%), Italy's (6.1%), and Spain's (10.5%). Versus the US (4.2%), the UK runs slightly higher — unusual historically, as both markets have typically been within a narrow band. The UK's post-Brexit labour market has experienced structural changes — reduced migration from the EU has created labour shortages in sectors like hospitality, construction, and agriculture that upward wage pressures have only partially alleviated. The BoE has highlighted labour market tightness as a persistent driver of services inflation, even as the headline rate has declined from its 2022–2023 peak."},{"question":"What does UK unemployment at 4.7% mean for BoE rate policy and gilt investors?","answer":"The Bank of England monitors the ILO unemployment rate as a primary labour market indicator alongside wage growth and the claimant count. At 4.7% — modestly above the BoE's estimated natural rate of approximately 4–4.5% — the labour market is generating limited additional unemployment slack while wage growth remains above the level consistent with the BoE's 2% CPI target. For gilt investors, the BoE's easing cycle is constrained by the combination of above-target inflation and a labour market that has not loosened sufficiently to guarantee a sustained return to 2% inflation. Watch BoE MPC minutes for the trade-off between the unemployment trend and services CPI when calibrating rate-cut timing."}]}