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

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Public sector employment, as a share of total employment was 0.2887 in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
0.2887
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
11th
of 79 countries
All-time high
0.3301
in 2005
All-time low
0.2772
in 2015
Years of data
14
2005–2018

Public sector employment, as a share of total employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2005–2018

00.10.20.32005201120182005: 0.332006: 0.3272007: 0.3272008: 0.2962009: 0.2922010: 0.3012011: 0.2962012: 0.2852013: 0.2832014: 0.2832015: 0.2772016: 0.2872017: 0.292018: 0.289

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 0.2887 for public sector employment, as a share of total employment in 2018.

That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment, as a share of total employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 0.3301 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.2772, in 2015.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 11th of 79 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Public sector employment, as a share of total employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2005 to 2018.
Year Value Change
2005 0.3301
2006 0.3268 -1.0%
2007 0.3274 +0.2%
2008 0.2958 -9.6%
2009 0.2925 -1.1%
2010 0.3012 +3.0%
2011 0.2955 -1.9%
2012 0.2848 -3.6%
2013 0.2829 -0.6%
2014 0.2827 -0.1%
2015 0.2772 -1.9%
2016 0.2869 +3.5%
2017 0.2897 +1.0%
2018 0.2887 -0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.3145 0.2925 0.3301 5
2010s 0.2877 0.2772 0.3012 9

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 8 Iceland 0.2991 compare
  2. 9 Ireland 0.2933 compare
  3. 10 France 0.2894 compare
  4. 12 Malta 0.286 compare
  5. 13 Finland 0.2782 compare
  6. 14 Switzerland 0.2751 compare

See the full ranking of 79 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 total employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Public sector employment, as a share of total employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 0.2887 in 2018, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector employment, as a share of total employment recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 0.3301 in 2005.
What is the lowest public sector employment, as a share of total employment recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2772 in 2015.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for public sector employment, as a share of total employment?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 11th out of 79 countries with data for 2018.
Is public sector employment, as a share of total employment rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. 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 total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector employment, as a share of total employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-employment-as-a-share-of-total-employment-2/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment, as a share of total employment
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
79 places, 1,004 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed