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 17.1% 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
United Kingdom recorded 17.1% for proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in 2023.
The figure is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in United Kingdom peaked at 20.7% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 2011.
That places United Kingdom 37th out of 181 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 | 15.1% | — |
| 2001 | 14.9% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 15.8% | +5.8% |
| 2003 | 13.9% | -12.1% |
| 2004 | 17.0% | +22.2% |
| 2005 | 17.3% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 12.3% | -28.8% |
| 2007 | 12.7% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 9.0% | -28.9% |
| 2009 | 8.6% | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 9.3% | +8.5% |
| 2011 | 5.7% | -39.4% |
| 2012 | 5.9% | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 19.1% | +223.2% |
| 2014 | 20.4% | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 19.1% | -6.4% |
| 2017 | 20.7% | +8.2% |
| 2018 | 19.4% | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 19.0% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 18.5% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 18.2% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 17.4% | -4.5% |
| 2023 | 17.1% | -1.7% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 17.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.0%, 1.4× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 17.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 19.2%, 89% 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 | +223.2% | 5.9% | 19.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.7% | 8.6% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.4% | 5.7% | 20.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 17.8% | 17.1% | 18.5% | 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 17.1% 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 20.7% in 2017.
- What is the lowest proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 2011.
- How does United Kingdom rank for proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education?
- United Kingdom ranks 37th out of 181 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 10.4%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release