Civil Service statistics

Civil Service employment since 1902

This chart shows how employment levels have evolved since 1902. Figures are based on the numbers of full-time equivalent (FTE) civil servants. Employment reached a peak in 1944. Since then there has been a long-term downward trend (click for a larger version of this chart).

Sources:
1902 to 1990 – Mandate and Departmental returns, Civil Service Statistics
1991 to 1998 – Public Sector Employment Statistics, ONS
1999 to 2011 – Quarterly Public Sector Employment Statistics, ONS

Key dates

The following list gives the numbers of FTE civil servants at key dates during the last 100 years.

  • 1918, end of WW1 – 221,000
  • 1939,  start of WW11 – 347,000
  • 1944, highest ever number – 1,160,000
  • 1945, the number stood at – 1,100,000
  • 1977, the highest number in the last 35 years – 746,000
  • Second quarter 2005, Her Majesty’s Court Service (HMCS) transfer – 536,000
  • Fourth quarter 2010, previous lowest post-war level –  470,000
  • Second quarter 2011, current position, lowest ever post-war level – 453,000

Where civil servants work

In the last 20 years, the proportion of civil servants located in London and the South East has reduced from 38% to 27.2%.

Sources

  • Public Sector Employment Statistics, ONS
  • Civil Service Statistics, ONS

Almost three-quarters of permanent civil servants work at one of the four
largest departments:

  • DWP – 23.1%
  • HMRC – 15.9%
  • MOD – 15.3%
  • MOJ – 15.9%
  • Other departments – 29.8%

Women in the Civil Service 1991 – 2011

The representation of women has been increasing year on year. Women have made up more than half of civil servants since 2001.

  • 2011 – 53%
  • 1991 – 46%

Sources

  • Civil Service Statistics, ONS

Ethnicity in the Civil Service

The percentage of ethnic minority civil servants has increased by more than half since 1999, to 9.2% in 2011.

Sources

  • Civil Service Statistics, ONS

People with disabilities in the Civil Service

Since 2001, the percentage of civil servants with disabilities has more than doubled, with the current level being 7.7%.

Sources

  • Civil Service Statistics, ONS

NB: 2011 disability figure is as a percentage of all those with a known disability status. Before 2007 it is a percentage of all staff.

Proportion of civil servants who work part-time 1999–2011

Flexible working patterns are increasingly common in the Civil Service. For example, the proportion of civil servants working part-time has increased from just over one in ten in 1999 to just over one in four in 2011.

Sources

  • Civil Service Statistics, ONS
  • Public Sector Employment Statistics, ONS

Age in the Civil Service

The average age of civil servants increased from 40 to 45 between 1999 and 2011.

Sources

  • Civil Service Statistics, ONS

Find out more information

To find out more information, view the full Office for National Statistics report [External website]

Statistics reports from 1970

Detailed reports from 1970 onwards are available online in the Statistics archive.