Occupational level of young people aged 25 to 29 years
Published:
18 December 2025
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Data on the occupational class people are in at 25 to 29 years old, by socio-economic background.
Summary main findings
In 2024, 27% of 25 to 29 year olds from a higher professional background were in a higher professional occupation, compared with 8% of those from a lower working class background. 30% of young people from a lower working class background worked in a lower working class occupation, compared with 15% of those from a higher professional background.
In the 3 years to 2024, 48% of 25 to 29 year olds were in higher and lower professional occupations – up from 36% in the 3 years to 2016. The gap between those from higher professional and lower working class backgrounds in getting into higher professional occupations went up from 15 to 23 percentage points over the same period.
Data for 2014 to 2024 combined shows that young women were less likely to be in higher professional occupations than young men from the same socio-economic background. They were more likely to be in lower professional occupations.
For example, among young people from higher professional backgrounds:
- 22% of young women and 30% of young men were in higher professional occupations
- 38% of young women and 30% of young men were in lower professional occupations
Young people from the Pakistani, Other and White Other ethnic groups had significantly lower chances of being in professional occupations than young White British people from the same socio-economic background.
Young people with a disability were more likely to be in a lower working class occupation than people without a disability from the same socio-economic background.
By socio-economic background
Visualisation
Percentage of 25 to 29 year olds in different occupational levels, by socio-economic background (UK, 2024)
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Data
| Socio-economic background | Occupation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower working (%) | Higher working (%) | Intermediate (%) | Lower professional (%) | Higher professional (%) | |
| Higher professional | 15.2 | 7.0 | 15.9 | 34.8 | 27.1 |
| Lower professional | 13.3 | 12.1 | 18.4 | 35.3 | 20.9 |
| Intermediate | 17.5 | 15.5 | 22.6 | 25.2 | 19.3 |
| Higher working | 20.1 | 20.6 | 20.6 | 26.3 | 12.4 |
| Lower working | 30.1 | 17.2 | 20.9 | 24.1 | 7.6 |
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Changes over time
Visualisation
Percentage of 25 to 29 year olds in different occupation levels, by socio-economic background (UK, 2014 to 2024, 3-year averages)
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Data
| Year | Lower working background | Higher working background | Intermediate background | Lower professional background | Higher professional background | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower working (%) | Higher working (%) | Intermediate (%) | Lower professional (%) | Higher professional (%) | Lower working (%) | Higher working (%) | Intermediate (%) | Lower professional (%) | Higher professional (%) | Lower working (%) | Higher working (%) | Intermediate (%) | Lower professional (%) | Higher professional (%) | Lower working (%) | Higher working (%) | Intermediate (%) | Lower professional (%) | Higher professional (%) | Lower working (%) | Higher working (%) | Intermediate (%) | Lower professional (%) | Higher professional (%) | Lower working (%) | Higher working (%) | Intermediate (%) | Lower professional (%) | Higher professional (%) | |
| 2022 to 2024 | 33.2 | 18.8 | 18.9 | 21.2 | 7.8 | 19.8 | 20.2 | 18.2 | 26.9 | 14.9 | 18.1 | 14.8 | 21.0 | 26.8 | 19.3 | 15.3 | 11.3 | 17.0 | 33.4 | 23.0 | 13.7 | 7.2 | 15.3 | 32.9 | 31.0 | 19.6 | 14.1 | 18.1 | 28.5 | 19.7 |
| 2021 to 2023 | 33.7 | 20.6 | 18.2 | 18.9 | 8.5 | 20.6 | 20.6 | 17.0 | 26.8 | 15.0 | 19.2 | 14.3 | 20.6 | 27.0 | 18.8 | 15.8 | 11.8 | 18.1 | 31.2 | 23.2 | 13.0 | 7.7 | 15.7 | 32.9 | 30.7 | 20.1 | 14.5 | 18.0 | 27.6 | 19.7 |
| 2020 to 2022 | 30.0 | 22.6 | 20.3 | 19.6 | 7.4 | 20.4 | 21.1 | 19.3 | 27.4 | 11.8 | 18.5 | 15.7 | 21.1 | 26.8 | 17.8 | 15.2 | 13.6 | 18.7 | 31.8 | 20.7 | 12.0 | 9.6 | 17.0 | 33.0 | 28.5 | 18.7 | 16.0 | 19.3 | 28.1 | 17.9 |
| 2019 to 2021 | 28.7 | 25.4 | 19.7 | 18.5 | 7.7 | 19.9 | 23.8 | 18.5 | 26.9 | 11.0 | 17.0 | 18.3 | 21.7 | 27.6 | 15.4 | 13.9 | 15.6 | 19.5 | 31.6 | 19.4 | 11.4 | 10.2 | 17.9 | 34.6 | 25.9 | 17.8 | 18.3 | 19.5 | 28.1 | 16.3 |
| 2018 to 2020 | 28.2 | 27.4 | 19.2 | 19.2 | 5.9 | 19.4 | 25.9 | 20.0 | 24.9 | 9.9 | 16.7 | 21.8 | 21.7 | 26.6 | 13.3 | 13.2 | 15.9 | 19.5 | 33.1 | 18.4 | 10.8 | 11.1 | 18.3 | 33.9 | 25.9 | 17.4 | 20.2 | 19.8 | 27.8 | 14.9 |
| 2017 to 2019 | 29.3 | 28.3 | 18.7 | 18.4 | 5.4 | 20.1 | 27.9 | 19.6 | 22.9 | 9.5 | 17.0 | 23.2 | 22.9 | 25.3 | 11.7 | 13.3 | 16.3 | 20.5 | 32.4 | 17.5 | 11.3 | 11.8 | 17.4 | 34.7 | 24.8 | 18.1 | 21.5 | 20.0 | 26.7 | 13.7 |
| 2016 to 2018 | 29.3 | 28.9 | 19.4 | 17.5 | 4.8 | 20.6 | 28.4 | 19.9 | 21.9 | 9.3 | 18.6 | 23.4 | 21.9 | 25.4 | 10.6 | 13.5 | 16.4 | 21.3 | 31.2 | 17.6 | 12.4 | 13.7 | 17.4 | 32.3 | 24.1 | 19.0 | 22.4 | 20.1 | 25.5 | 13.0 |
| 2015 to 2017 | 30.1 | 29.0 | 19.9 | 15.9 | 5.1 | 20.9 | 28.5 | 19.0 | 22.6 | 9.1 | 18.9 | 22.1 | 22.8 | 25.9 | 10.3 | 14.8 | 16.9 | 21.1 | 30.5 | 16.7 | 13.7 | 14.1 | 17.9 | 33.2 | 21.1 | 19.9 | 22.4 | 20.3 | 25.3 | 12.1 |
| 2014 to 2016 | 33.0 | 28.4 | 18.6 | 14.6 | 5.4 | 20.8 | 29.3 | 19.8 | 21.8 | 8.4 | 21.0 | 21.4 | 23.2 | 24.8 | 9.7 | 15.6 | 18.1 | 19.3 | 31.2 | 15.8 | 13.9 | 13.7 | 18.4 | 33.6 | 20.3 | 21.3 | 22.6 | 20.0 | 24.7 | 11.4 |
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For the full download file, see Download the data.
By sex
Visualisation
Percentage of 25 to 29 year olds in different occupational levels, by socio-economic background and sex (UK, 2014 to 2024 combined)
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Data
| Socio-economic background | Sex | Lower working (%) | Higher working (%) | Intermediate (%) | Lower professional (%) | Higher professional (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher professional | Men | 13.8 | 11.2 | 15.4 | 29.8 | 29.8 |
| Women | 11.6 | 10.2 | 19.0 | 37.6 | 21.6 | |
| Lower professional | Men | 14.9 | 16.3 | 17.9 | 28.4 | 22.5 |
| Women | 14.4 | 13.7 | 20.5 | 35.8 | 15.7 | |
| Intermediate | Men | 18.6 | 20.5 | 20.6 | 23.7 | 16.7 |
| Women | 18.4 | 18.1 | 23.8 | 28.7 | 11.1 | |
| Higher working | Men | 21.4 | 26.6 | 17.3 | 21.9 | 12.8 |
| Women | 19.1 | 24.3 | 21.3 | 26.8 | 8.5 | |
| Lower working | Men | 33.0 | 26.3 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 8.0 |
| Women | 29.4 | 24.6 | 21.4 | 19.8 | 4.7 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
By ethnicity
Visualisation
Percentage of 25 to 29 year olds in a professional occupation, by ethnicity and socio-economic background (UK, 2014 to 2024 combined)
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Data
| Ethnicity | Lower working (%) | Higher professional (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Bangladeshi | 18.3 | 50.2 |
| Chinese | 26.5 | 61.9 |
| Indian | 31.3 | 67.2 |
| Pakistani | 17.9 | 49.7 |
| Black African | 22.9 | 57.3 |
| Black Caribbean | 23.4 | 57.9 |
| Mixed | 27.1 | 62.6 |
| White British | 24.8 | 59.9 |
| White other | 21.2 | 54.9 |
| Other | 21.4 | 55.2 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
By disability status
Visualisation
Percentage of 25 to 29 year olds in different occupational levels, by socio-economic background and disability status (UK, 2014 to 2024 combined)
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Data
| Socio-economic background | Disability | Lower working (%) | Higher working (%) | Intermediate (%) | Lower professional (%) | Higher professional (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher professional | Yes | 28.9 | 13.5 | 16.9 | 25.6 | 15.0 |
| No | 10.9 | 10.4 | 17.2 | 34.5 | 27.0 | |
| Lower professional | Yes | 28.3 | 19.6 | 18.4 | 25.8 | 7.9 |
| No | 12.9 | 14.4 | 19.3 | 32.9 | 20.5 | |
| Intermediate | Yes | 34.1 | 21.1 | 21.3 | 17.8 | 5.7 |
| No | 16.3 | 19.1 | 22.2 | 27.3 | 15.1 | |
| Higher working | Yes | 39.8 | 27.4 | 12.3 | 15.4 | 5.0 |
| No | 17.5 | 25.2 | 20.2 | 25.6 | 11.5 | |
| Lower working | Yes | 51.7 | 22.0 | 14.6 | 9.5 | 2.2 |
| No | 26.2 | 26.3 | 20.1 | 20.1 | 7.4 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
By area
Visualisation
Percentage point difference in the likelihood of being in a professional occupation at 25 to 29 years old, compared to the national average (UK, 2018 to 2024 combined)
41 regions in the UK are ranked from the lowest to highest values. They are then divided into 5 equally-sized groups (‘quintiles’), from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).
The lines either side of the dots represent confidence intervals – the range of values that the 'true' value for each region is highly likely to be within. In many cases the confidence intervals overlap. This suggests differences between specific regions may not be statistically significant.
The regional estimates have a large margin of error – do not rank or compare specific regions. See the composite indices for more precise estimates and to understand overall regional patterns.
Data
| Region | Difference compared to average |
|---|---|
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 5.3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 3.1 |
| Cheshire | 1.5 |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | 2.5 |
| Cumbria | -3.1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | -0.6 |
| Devon | 0.7 |
| Dorset and Somerset | 0.2 |
| East Anglia | -0.1 |
| East Wales | -1.7 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | -0.3 |
| Eastern Scotland | -1.2 |
| Essex | 1.5 |
| Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bath/Bristol area | -2.0 |
| Greater Manchester | -2.5 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 4.2 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 3.1 |
| Highlands and Islands | -7.1 |
| Inner London - East | 4.9 |
| Inner London - West | 4.0 |
| Kent | 2.9 |
| Lancashire | 1.3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 2.0 |
| Lincolnshire | -4.0 |
| Merseyside | -5.5 |
| North Eastern Scotland | 0.4 |
| North Yorkshire | 4.9 |
| Northern Ireland | -4.7 |
| Northumberland, and Tyne and Wear | -2.7 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 5.9 |
| Outer London - South | -1.7 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 6.0 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 2.1 |
| South Yorkshire | -3.4 |
| Southern Scotland | -5.5 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 2.0 |
| Tees Valley and Durham | -3.4 |
| West Central Scotland | -2.6 |
| West Midlands | -2.6 |
| West Wales and The Valleys | -1.4 |
| West Yorkshire | -2.6 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
About the data
Data source
Office for National Statistics, Labour Force Survey (LFS)
Time period
- 2024 (By socio-economic background)
- 2014 to 2024, 3-year averages (Changes over time)
- 2014 to 2024 combined (By sex, by ethnicity, by disability status)
- 2018 to 2024 combined (By area)
Geographic area
UK
What the data measures
The data shows the occupation level of 25 to 29 year olds in the UK, by socio-economic background.
We use the following 5 categories of socio-economic background and occupational level:
- higher professional and managerial
- lower professional and managerial
- intermediate
- higher working class
- lower working class
These are based on the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (‘NS-SEC’), set by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Things you need to know
Data is weighted using LFS person weights.
For changes over time, we use a 3-year moving average. The first data point covers 2014 to 2016, and the final data point covers 2022 to 2024. A formal test was conducted into whether the gap between socio-economic classes has changed over time. This was not significant, which means the gap has stayed consistent over time.
Due to rounding, some totals may not add up to 100%.
The error bars show 95% confidence intervals. Read more about confidence intervals.
For data by sex, ethnicity and disability status, data from 2014 to 2024 is combined to get more accurate estimates.
For data by area, data from 2018 to 2024 is combined.
The data by ethnicity shows whether young people are in a professional occupation (either higher or lower professional). Percentages are shown only for people from lower working class and higher professional backgrounds. This is because the number of people surveyed was too small to measure all socio-economic backgrounds and occupation levels reliably. The estimated percentages are those for men.
For data by disability status, respondents were asked if they had a health condition or illness lasting 12 months or more, and if that condition reduced their ability to carry out day-to-day activities. This is consistent with the definition of disability in the Equality Act 2010.
Areas are based on where the respondents were living when they were aged 14.
Type of data
Survey data
Full report
Read more in State of the Nation 2025 on GOV.UK.
Download the data
Download full dataset (CSV, 106KB)
This file contains the following variables:
- Measure code
- Measure title
- Chart type
- Area code
- Area type
- Area name
- Primary split type
- Primary split value
- Secondary split type
- Secondary split value
- Tertiary split type
- Tertiary split value
- Time period
- Value
- Lower confidence interval
- Upper confidence interval
- Sample size
- Unit
- Value note
Page history
Publication release date:
18 December 2025