Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education was 16.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in United Kingdom, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in United Kingdom is 16.0%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in United Kingdom peaked at 19.3% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 5.5%, in 2011.
That places United Kingdom 34th out of 183 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.9% | — |
| 2001 | 14.6% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 15.6% | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 14.2% | -8.7% |
| 2004 | 17.0% | +19.2% |
| 2005 | 17.2% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 12.1% | -29.4% |
| 2007 | 12.3% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 8.8% | -28.3% |
| 2009 | 8.3% | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 9.0% | +7.4% |
| 2011 | 5.5% | -38.9% |
| 2012 | 5.7% | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 18.2% | +220.0% |
| 2014 | 19.3% | +6.2% |
| 2015 | 17.9% | -7.5% |
| 2017 | 19.3% | +8.1% |
| 2018 | 18.1% | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 17.5% | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 17.1% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 17.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 16.3% | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 16.0% | -2.1% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 16.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.0%, 1.6× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 16.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 17.8%, 90% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +220.0% | 5.7% | 18.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.5% | 8.3% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.5% | 5.5% | 19.3% | 9 |
| 2020s | 16.6% | 16.0% | 17.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in United Kingdom?
- Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in United Kingdom was 16.0% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 19.3% in 2014.
- What is the lowest proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.5% in 2011.
- How does United Kingdom rank for proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education?
- United Kingdom ranks 34th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release