Employment by main economic activity - Regions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Employment by main economic activity - Regions was 33.43 million Persons in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
33.43 million Persons
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
4th
of 43 countries
All-time high
33.94 million Persons
in 2019
All-time low
28.00 million Persons
in 1998
Years of data
24
1998–2021

Employment by main economic activity - Regions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1998–2021

010.0M20.0M30.0M1998200920211998: 28.0M Persons1999: 28.4M Persons2000: 28.7M Persons2001: 28.8M Persons2002: 29.1M Persons2003: 29.3M Persons2004: 29.6M Persons2005: 29.9M Persons2006: 30.2M Persons2007: 30.5M Persons2008: 30.8M Persons2009: 30.3M Persons2010: 30.3M Persons2011: 30.5M Persons2012: 30.8M Persons2013: 31.2M Persons2014: 32.0M Persons2015: 32.5M Persons2016: 32.9M Persons2017: 33.2M Persons2018: 33.6M Persons2019: 33.9M Persons2020: 33.6M Persons2021: 33.4M Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 33.43 million Persons for employment by main economic activity - regions in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employment by main economic activity - regions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 33.94 million Persons in 2019 and was at its lowest, 28.00 million Persons, in 1998.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 4th of 43 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Employment by main economic activity - Regions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Employment by main economic activity - Regions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1998 to 2021.
Year Persons Change
1998 28.00 million Persons
1999 28.41 million Persons +1.5%
2000 28.66 million Persons +0.9%
2001 28.85 million Persons +0.7%
2002 29.09 million Persons +0.8%
2003 29.34 million Persons +0.9%
2004 29.61 million Persons +0.9%
2005 29.91 million Persons +1.0%
2006 30.20 million Persons +1.0%
2007 30.48 million Persons +0.9%
2008 30.75 million Persons +0.9%
2009 30.30 million Persons -1.5%
2010 30.34 million Persons +0.1%
2011 30.52 million Persons +0.6%
2012 30.83 million Persons +1.0%
2013 31.18 million Persons +1.1%
2014 31.95 million Persons +2.5%
2015 32.47 million Persons +1.6%
2016 32.88 million Persons +1.3%
2017 33.18 million Persons +0.9%
2018 33.57 million Persons +1.2%
2019 33.94 million Persons +1.1%
2020 33.64 million Persons -0.9%
2021 33.43 million Persons -0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 28.20 million Persons 28.00 million Persons 28.41 million Persons 2
2000s 29.72 million Persons 28.66 million Persons 30.75 million Persons 10
2010s 32.08 million Persons 30.34 million Persons 33.94 million Persons 10
2020s 33.53 million Persons 33.43 million Persons 33.64 million Persons 2

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 1 United States 158.01 million Persons compare
  2. 2 Mexico 58.94 million Persons compare
  3. 3 Türkiye 32.62 million Persons compare
  4. 3 Germany 45.99 million Persons compare
  5. 5 France 30.62 million Persons compare
  6. 6 Italy 26.51 million Persons compare
  7. 7 Colombia 23.62 million Persons compare

See the full ranking of 49 places →

More economy & growth data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is employment by main economic activity - regions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Employment by main economic activity - regions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 33.43 million Persons in 2021, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest employment by main economic activity - regions recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 33.94 million Persons in 2019.
What is the lowest employment by main economic activity - regions recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 28.00 million Persons in 1998.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for employment by main economic activity - regions?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 4th out of 43 countries with data for 2021.
Is employment by main economic activity - regions rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 Employment by main economic activity - Regions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Employment by main economic activity - Regions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/employment-by-main-economic-activity-regions/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Employment by main economic activity - Regions
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
49 places, 1,247 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset provides indicators on employment by 10 broad activities and labour utilisation, in large regions (TL2) and small regions (TL3). Data source and definition Employment data is collected from Eurostat for EU countries and via delegates of the OECD Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI), as well as from national statistical offices' websites. Employment is measured at place of work. Labour utilisation is measured by the number of employment at place of work per capita, for total activity. See the Regional data sources. Definition of regions Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). See the OECD Territorial grid. Use of economic data on small regions TL3 regions are grouped into typologies based on shared characteristics. For economic analysis, TL3 regions belonging to the same Functional Urban Area (FUA) with more than 250,000 inhabitants are aggregated into a single metropolitan region to reduce distortions from commuting. See the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table. Cite this dataset OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database http://oe.cd/geostats. Further information OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance For questions and/or comments, please email RegionStat@oecd.org.