Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) by country
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have...
What the numbers show
Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) is currently reported for 57 countries. The highest value is 55.87 in Poland; the lowest is 14.71 in Tanzania, United Republic of.
The median across all reporting countries is 38.65, and the mean is 38.81.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 4.
Over the past decade 32 countries rose and 24 fell. The largest increase was in Zimbabwe (up 136.2%), and the largest decrease in Zambia (down 25.4%).
Inactivity rate: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poland | 55.87 | 2025 | up 28.1% | rising |
| 2 | Senegal | 55.44 | 2024 | up 1.7% | flat |
| 3 | Palestine, State of | 55.01 | 2022 | — | flat |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 52.65 | 2024 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 5 | Romania | 49.82 | 2025 | up 9.5% | flat |
| 6 | Italy | 46.98 | 2025 | down 1.5% | falling |
| 7 | Belgium | 46.23 | 2025 | up 1.2% | rising |
| 8 | Finland | 46.16 | 2025 | up 5.2% | rising |
| 9 | Greece | 45.48 | 2025 | down 3.6% | flat |
| 10 | Latvia | 45.39 | 2025 | up 9.8% | rising |
| 11 | Germany | 44.76 | 2022 | up 7.4% | flat |
| 12 | Estonia | 44.66 | 2025 | up 15.4% | rising |
| 13 | Sweden | 43.83 | 2025 | up 10.9% | rising |
| 14 | Costa Rica | 43.77 | 2025 | up 9.6% | rising |
| 15 | France | 43.3 | 2025 | up 1.6% | flat |
| 16 | Croatia | 43.25 | 2025 | down 2.3% | flat |
| 17 | Austria | 42.77 | 2025 | up 1.2% | flat |
| 18 | Slovenia | 42.69 | 2025 | up 1.0% | falling |
| 19 | Denmark | 42.64 | 2025 | down 1.3% | rising |
| 20 | Serbia | 42.37 | 2025 | down 2.6% | falling |
| 21 | Norway | 41.92 | 2025 | up 10.6% | rising |
| 22 | Netherlands | 41.12 | 2025 | down 1.1% | flat |
| 23 | Czechia | 40.62 | 2025 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 24 | Iceland | 40.38 | 2020 | up 13.0% | rising |
| 25 | Spain | 39.85 | 2025 | up 2.9% | falling |
| 26 | Portugal | 39.66 | 2025 | down 4.2% | flat |
| 27 | Luxembourg | 39.38 | 2025 | down 2.4% | falling |
| 28 | Bulgaria | 39.24 | 2025 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 29 | Hungary | 38.65 | 2025 | down 11.5% | falling |
| 30 | Mongolia | 38.56 | 2025 | down 4.1% | falling |
| 31 | Slovakia | 38.2 | 2025 | up 3.2% | falling |
| 32 | Chile | 38.1 | 2022 | down 13.8% | falling |
| 33 | United States of America | 37.58 | 2025 | up 0.6% | rising |
| 34 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 37.16 | 2025 | down 0.7% | flat |
| 35 | Ireland | 37.04 | 2025 | down 11.2% | falling |
| 36 | Lithuania | 36.93 | 2025 | down 9.7% | falling |
| 37 | Switzerland | 36.81 | 2024 | up 3.4% | flat |
| 38 | Zambia | 36.76 | 2024 | down 25.4% | falling |
| 39 | Zimbabwe | 36.56 | 2024 | up 136.2% | rising |
| 40 | Cyprus | 36.5 | 2025 | down 0.3% | falling |
| 41 | Colombia | 36.03 | 2025 | down 1.4% | flat |
| 42 | Seychelles | 35.45 | 2025 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 43 | Ghana | 35.08 | 2024 | up 47.0% | rising |
| 44 | Israel | 34.95 | 2023 | up 1.7% | flat |
| 45 | Armenia | 34.71 | 2023 | down 6.7% | falling |
| 46 | Côte d'Ivoire | 32.85 | 2022 | down 1.0% | falling |
| 47 | Indonesia | 32.1 | 2023 | down 11.0% | falling |
| 48 | Burkina Faso | 31.89 | 2025 | up 42.5% | rising |
| 49 | Botswana | 30.95 | 2024 | down 18.2% | falling |
| 50 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 30.5 | 2024 | up 6.5% | flat |
| 51 | Thailand | 30.28 | 2019 | up 20.7% | rising |
| 52 | Togo | 29.27 | 2022 | up 34.3% | rising |
| 53 | Peru | 28.29 | 2025 | up 17.4% | rising |
| 54 | Republic of Moldova | 27.65 | 2025 | down 16.1% | falling |
| 55 | Rwanda | 23.22 | 2025 | up 41.5% | rising |
| 56 | Cambodia | 20.02 | 2023 | up 1.2% | falling |
| 57 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 14.71 | 2024 | down 8.2% | rising |
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. This indicator conveys the number of persons of working age outside the labour force (that is, not employed or unemployed) expressed as a percentage of the working-age population. The term disability, as defined in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), is used as an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. For measurement purposes, a person with disability is defined as a person who is limited in the kind or amount of activities that he or she can do because of ongoing difficulties due to a long-term physical condition, mental condition or health problem. For more information, refer to the Disability Labour Market Indicators (DLMI) database description.