the United Kingdom Country (Sov) : NS Socio-economic Classification (4-way)

NS Socio-economic Classification (4-way)

Data cube chart.

Year Higher managerial, administrative & professional occupations Intermediate occupations Routine & manual occupations Never worked & long-term unemployed
1991 1,640,319 Show data context 639,412 Show data context 749,289 Show data context 93,113 Show data context
2001 11,339,817 Show data context 6,925,566 Show data context 12,026,459 Show data context 4,631,311 Show data context
2011 23,895,468 Show data context 10,209,617 Show data context 15,132,899 Show data context 6,789,008 Show data context
2021 17,968,814 Show data context 11,906,970 Show data context 15,915,228 Show data context 8,839,821 Show data context
Date Source
1991 - 2021 Great Britain Historical GIS Project

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nCube definition


Here we simplify the National Statistics Socio-economic Classfication into just four analytic categories, which we try to present over a very long period. Note that up to 1991 the census focused on levels of "skill", and on whether work was "manual", but since 2001 the focus has instead been on whether work was "routine", making comparisons difficult.


How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, the United Kingdom Country (Sov) through time | Historical Statistics on Social Structure | NS Socio-economic Classification (4-way), A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10024961/cube/NS_SEC_4WAY

Date accessed: 08th June 2026