Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location was 0.3448 in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
0.3448
Change on year
up 4.3%
World rank
14th
of 69 countries
All-time high
0.3784
in 2007
All-time low
0.3168
in 2015
Years of data
13
2005–2017

Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2005–2017

00.10.20.30.42005201120172005: 0.3752006: 0.3772007: 0.3782008: 0.3282009: 0.3282010: 0.3432011: 0.3412012: 0.322013: 0.3252014: 0.3242015: 0.3172016: 0.332017: 0.345

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

The most recent figure for public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 0.3448, measured in 2017.

That represents a change of up 4.3% on the previous year and down 8.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 0.3784 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.3168, in 2015.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 14th out of 69 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location: Urban in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2005 to 2017.
Year Value Change
2005 0.3745
2006 0.3774 +0.8%
2007 0.3784 +0.3%
2008 0.3283 -13.2%
2009 0.3282 -0.0%
2010 0.3431 +4.5%
2011 0.3411 -0.6%
2012 0.3198 -6.3%
2013 0.3254 +1.8%
2014 0.3245 -0.3%
2015 0.3168 -2.4%
2016 0.3305 +4.3%
2017 0.3448 +4.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.3574 0.3282 0.3784 5
2010s 0.3307 0.3168 0.3448 8

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 11 France 0.3602 compare
  2. 12 Cambodia 0.3547 compare
  3. 13 Tunisia 0.3506 compare
  4. 15 Iceland 0.3395 compare
  5. 16 Malta 0.3339 compare
  6. 17 Greece 0.3299 compare

See the full ranking of 69 places →

More reference data 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 public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 0.3448 in 2017, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 0.3784 in 2007.
What is the lowest public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3168 in 2015.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 14th out of 69 countries with data for 2017.
Is public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location: Urban. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-employment-as-a-share-of-paid-employment-by-location-urban/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by location: Urban
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
69 places, 855 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed