Inactivity rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Inactivity rate was 37.16 in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
37.16
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
34th
of 57 countries
All-time high
38.83
in 2014
All-time low
37.06
in 2019
Years of data
21
2005–2025

Inactivity rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2005–2025

0102030402005201520252005: 37.92006: 37.52007: 37.62008: 37.42009: 37.62010: 37.92011: 37.92012: 37.72013: 37.62014: 38.82015: 37.42016: 37.32017: 37.32018: 37.12019: 37.12020: 37.22021: 37.82022: 37.82023: 37.82024: 382025: 37.2

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 37.16 for inactivity rate in 2025.

That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, inactivity rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 38.83 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 37.06, in 2019.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 34th out of 57 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

Inactivity rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2005 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2005 37.87
2006 37.45 -1.1%
2007 37.63 +0.5%
2008 37.42 -0.6%
2009 37.63 +0.6%
2010 37.86 +0.6%
2011 37.88 +0.1%
2012 37.7 -0.5%
2013 37.62 -0.2%
2014 38.83 +3.2%
2015 37.43 -3.6%
2016 37.28 -0.4%
2017 37.3 +0.1%
2018 37.11 -0.5%
2019 37.06 -0.1%
2020 37.17 +0.3%
2021 37.8 +1.7%
2022 37.78 -0.1%
2023 37.77 -0.0%
2024 37.96 +0.5%
2025 37.16 -2.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 37.6 37.42 37.87 5
2010s 37.61 37.06 38.83 10
2020s 37.61 37.16 37.96 6

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 31 Slovakia 38.2 compare
  2. 32 Chile 38.1 compare
  3. 33 United States of America 37.58 compare
  4. 35 Ireland 37.04 compare
  5. 36 Lithuania 36.93 compare
  6. 37 Switzerland 36.81 compare

See the full ranking of 57 places →

More gender data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is inactivity rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Inactivity rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 37.16 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest inactivity rate recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 38.83 in 2014.
What is the lowest inactivity rate recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 37.06 in 2019.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for inactivity rate?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 34th out of 57 countries with data for 2025.
Is inactivity rate rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Inactivity rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/inactivity-rate-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
57 places, 865 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed

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.