Across the UK

UK apprenticeship statistics 2026

The latest official apprenticeship numbers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in one place: starts, levels, ages, completion rates and pay, each with its source.

  • Applies to UK-wide
  • Reviewed
  • Reading time 3 min

The short answer

England had 353,500 apprenticeship starts in 2024/25, Scotland 24,849 Modern Apprenticeship starts in 2025/26, Wales 18,850 starts in 2024/25 and Northern Ireland 7,309 ApprenticeshipsNI starts in 2024/25. The apprentice minimum wage is £8.00 an hour from April 2026, and median apprentice pay was £10.87 an hour in 2023.

Key figures

Apprenticeship starts in England, academic year 2024/25, up 4.1%
353,500
Source: Department for Education
Modern Apprenticeship starts in Scotland, financial year 2025/26
24,849
Source: Skills Development Scotland
Apprenticeship programmes started in Wales, 2024/25
18,850
Source: Medr
ApprenticeshipsNI starts (Levels 2 and 3) in Northern Ireland, 2024/25
7,309
Source: Department for the Economy / NISRA

These are the latest official apprenticeship figures for each UK nation, all from government sources. We update them as new statistics are published.

Each nation counts things differently: England and Wales report academic years, Scotland reports financial years, and Northern Ireland reports its Level 2 and 3 programme separately from higher level apprenticeships. So use these numbers to see the scale, not to compare nations exactly.

Starts across the UK

Nation Latest yearly starts Period Source
England 353,500 Academic year 2024/25 Department for Education
Scotland 24,849 (Modern Apprenticeships) Financial year 2025/26 Skills Development Scotland
Wales 18,850 Academic year 2024/25 Medr
Northern Ireland 7,309 (ApprenticeshipsNI, Levels 2–3) Academic year 2024/25 Department for the Economy / NISRA

For how the systems themselves differ, see apprenticeships across the UK.

England

England, 2024/25 Figure Change on 2023/24
Apprenticeships started 353,500 Up 4.1%
People doing an apprenticeship during the year 761,480 Up 3.4%
Apprenticeships completed 198,330 Up 11.3%
Higher apprenticeship starts (Levels 4–7) 140,730 (39.8% of starts) Up 15.1%
Degree-level starts (Levels 6–7) 60,350 (17.1% of starts) Up 20.4%
of which Level 6 26,780 –
of which Level 7 33,560 –
Share of starts at Level 2 18.6% Level 2 starts down 7.3%
Starts by people under 19 74,990 (21.2%) –
Starts by people aged 25 and over 51.3% –

The latest year so far: early figures for 2025/26 (August to April) show 308,770 starts, 8.7% more than at the same point the year before.

Completion: in 2023/24, Level 6 apprenticeships had the highest achievement rate of any level, at 69.1%.

Scotland

Skills Development Scotland’s figures for the 2025/26 financial year:

Scotland, 2025/26 Figure
Modern Apprenticeship starts 24,849
Achievement rate 80.3%
Starts by women 41.2%
Starts at SCQF Level 6 or above 82.7%

See our Scotland guide for how Foundation, Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships work.

Wales

Medr’s figures for the 2024/25 academic year:

Wales, 2024/25 Figure
Apprenticeship programmes started 18,850
Change on 2023/24 Down 13%, the lowest since records began in 2012/13
Degree apprenticeship starts 485

See our Wales guide.

Northern Ireland

The Department for the Economy’s figures for the 2024/25 academic year:

Northern Ireland, 2024/25 Figure
ApprenticeshipsNI starts (Levels 2 and 3) 7,309
Share at Level 2 48%
Share at Level 3 48%

Higher Level Apprenticeships (Levels 4 to 7) are counted separately. See our Northern Ireland guide.

Pay

Pay Figure Source
Apprentice minimum wage (under 19, or in your first year) from 1 April 2026 £8.00 an hour GOV.UK
Previous apprentice rate £7.55 an hour GOV.UK
Minimum wage at 18 to 20 from 1 April 2026 £10.85 an hour GOV.UK
National Living Wage (21 and over) from 1 April 2026 £12.71 an hour GOV.UK
Median apprentice pay, 2023 £10.87 an hour Low Pay Commission
16 and 17 year old apprentices paid less than they should have been, 2023 Nearly 1 in 5 Low Pay Commission

The minimum wage rates are the same across the UK. For what employers actually pay, see highest-paying apprenticeships and our apprentice pay guide.

Using these figures

You’re welcome to quote these numbers. Please link back to this page, and to the official source if you can. Every figure here links to where it came from in the sources list below.

Summary

  • England is by far the biggest programme, with 353,500 starts in 2024/25. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland count their figures differently, so compare them with care.
  • In England, 39.8% of 2024/25 starts were at Level 4 or above, and degree-level starts rose 20.4% in a year.
  • More than half of apprenticeship starts in England (51.3%) are by people aged 25 and over. 21.2% are by under-19s.
  • The apprentice minimum wage is £8.00 an hour from April 2026. Median apprentice pay was £10.87 an hour in 2023.

Questions you might have

How many apprenticeships are there in the UK?

Each nation counts separately. England had 353,500 apprenticeship starts in 2024/25, Scotland 24,849 Modern Apprenticeship starts in 2025/26, Wales 18,850 starts in 2024/25 and Northern Ireland 7,309 ApprenticeshipsNI starts in 2024/25.

Are apprenticeships going up or down?

In England they're going up: starts rose 4.1% in 2024/25, and early figures for 2025/26 were 8.7% higher at the same point. In Wales, starts fell 13% in 2024/25 to the lowest level since records began in 2012/13.

What percentage of apprentices finish their apprenticeship?

In Scotland, the Modern Apprenticeship achievement rate was 80.3% in 2025/26. In England, Level 6 apprenticeships had the highest achievement rate of any level in 2023/24, at 69.1%.

How many people do degree apprenticeships?

In England, 60,350 people started a Level 6 or 7 apprenticeship in 2024/25 (26,780 at Level 6 and 33,560 at Level 7), up 20.4% on the year before. In Wales, there were 485 degree apprenticeship starts in 2024/25.

What age are most apprentices?

In England, more than half of 2024/25 starts (51.3%) were by people aged 25 and over, and 21.2% (74,990) were by people under 19. Many apprenticeships are used to train people already in work.

How much do apprentices earn on average?

The Low Pay Commission found median apprentice pay was £10.87 an hour in 2023. The legal minimum from April 2026 is £8.00 an hour. Our highest-paying apprenticeships page lists published pay from employers we've researched.

Sources and review

Last reviewed . Details can change after this date, so check the official source before you rely on them.

  1. Apprenticeships, academic year 2024/25 Department for Education · accessed Official statistics for England, published 27 November 2025.
  2. Apprenticeships, academic year 2025/26 Department for Education · accessed Early figures for August to April, published 16 July 2026.
  3. Modern Apprenticeship Statistics, financial year 2025/26 Skills Development Scotland · accessed Official statistics published 26 May 2026.
  4. Apprenticeships learning programmes started: August to October 2025 (Sta/Medr/02/2026) Medr · accessed Includes full-year 2024/25 figures for Wales.
  5. ApprenticeshipsNI statistical bulletin (May 2026) Department for the Economy / NISRA · accessed
  6. National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates GOV.UK · accessed
  7. Four facts about apprentice pay from the latest data Low Pay Commission · accessed

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