Wednesday 21 October Colnbrook
  1. Home
  2. Statistics
  3. Berkshire
  4. Economy & jobs
  5. Unemployment rate
Economy & jobs Statistics · Area

Unemployment rate in Berkshire

1999 – 2023 · 25 data points 12 of 22 · Regions of South East England Updated 21 Oct 2026

Source: OECD Regional Database, 1999 – 2023

Unemployment rate, 1999 – 2023 percent · Berkshire · South East England · United Kingdom · World
−1.9 pp since 2013
Berkshire South East England United Kingdom World

Sources: OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators, 1999 – 2023

Compared with Unemployment rate · percent
Berkshire
2.9%
World
4.8% · 2025

Sources: OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators

The series at a glance Berkshire · 1999 – 2023
Latest value 2.9% · 2023
First value 2.6% · 1999
Highest 5.8% · 2010
Lowest 2.2% · 2000
Data points 25

By year

All years · 1999 – 2023

YearBerkshireChange South East EnglandUnited KingdomWorld
2023 2.9% +0.2 pp 2.9% 3.9% 4.8%
2022 2.7% −1.0 pp 3.1% 3.7% 5.2%
2021 3.7% +0.1 pp 3.8% 4.5% 6.0%
2020 3.6% +0.9 pp 4.0% 4.6% 6.6%
2019 2.7% −0.1 pp 3.0% 3.8% 5.6%
2018 2.8% −0.4 pp 3.4% 4.1% 5.8%
2017 3.2% −0.1 pp 3.2% 4.4% 5.9%
2016 3.3% −0.5 pp 4.0% 4.9% 6.0%
2015 3.8% −0.6 pp 4.2% 5.4% 6.0%
2014 4.4% −0.4 pp 4.8% 6.2% 6.0%
2013 4.8% −1.0 pp 5.7% 7.6% 6.1%
2012break in series 5.8% +0.6 pp 6.0% 8.0% 6.2%
2011 5.2% −0.6 pp 6.1% 8.1% 6.1%
2010 5.8% +0.4 pp 6.2% 7.9% 6.3%
2009 5.4% +1.4 pp 5.8% 7.6% 6.4%
2008break in series 4.0% +0.1 pp 4.4% 5.7% 5.8%
2007break in series 3.9% ±0.0 pp 4.4% 5.3% 5.8%
2006 3.9% +0.5 pp 4.5% 5.4% 6.0%
2005break in series 3.4% −0.4 pp 3.9% 4.8% 6.2%
2004break in series 3.8% ±0.0 pp 3.7% 4.8% 6.3%
2003 3.8% ±0.0 pp 3.9% 5.0% 6.5%
2002 3.8% +0.9 pp 3.8% 5.2% 6.4%
2001 2.9% +0.7 pp 3.3% 5.1% 6.2%
2000 2.2% −0.4 pp 3.3% 5.5% 6.1%
1999break in series 2.6% 3.9% 6.0% 6.3%

Sources: OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators, 1999 – 2023

Ranking · Regions of South East England

2017 · Place 1 is the highest value.

#TerritoryUnemployment rate
24 Buckinghamshire 1.8%
23 North Hampshire 2.0%
22 Central Hampshire 2.1%
21 West Kent 2.4%
20 West Surrey 2.4%
19 East Surrey 2.6%
18 West Sussex (South West) 2.6%
17 Mid Kent 2.7%
16 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 2.9%
15 Surrey, East and West Sussex 3.1%
14 Kent Thames Gateway 3.1%
13 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire 3.2%
12 South Hampshire 3.2%
11 West Sussex (North East) 3.2%
10 East Sussex CC 3.3%
9 Portsmouth 3.4%
8 Kent 3.6%
7 Southampton 3.8%
6 Oxfordshire CC 3.8%
5 East Kent 4.2%
4 Milton Keynes 4.9%
3 Isle of Wight 5.0%
2 Medway 5.6%
1 Brighton and Hove 6.3%

Source: OECD Regional Database, 2017

What it means

The share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one.

How it is calculated

Unemployed people divided by the labour force (employed plus unemployed), following the international definition; annual average.