UK economic inactivity rate

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), series LF2S. Monthly, usually a Tuesday in the middle of the month, 7am (ONS labour market release); next release 20 October 2026

UK economic inactivity rate: every value, by year, with a CSV download →

What it measures

The economic inactivity rate is the percentage of people aged 16 to 64 who are neither in work nor unemployed: they have not looked for work in the last four weeks or cannot start within two weeks. The main groups are students, people looking after family or home, people who are long-term sick or disabled, and people who have retired early. The ONS publishes inactivity by reason, which is often the most useful part of the data. See economic inactivity in the glossary.

How to read it

Inactivity, employment and unemployment add up to the whole population of a given age, so a fall in inactivity shows up as a rise in employment or unemployment. Each value is a three-month rolling average from the Labour Force Survey. The figures come from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), a household sample survey, so they carry sampling error and month-to-month changes are often within the margin of uncertainty. The ONS has reported lower LFS response rates in recent years and publishes regular LFS quality updates; read the quality notes in the latest bulletin before drawing conclusions from small changes. Inactivity is not the same as being out of work and wanting a job: the ONS publishes how many inactive people say they would like to work. For claims about long-term sickness, use the ONS figures by reason and DWP benefit statistics together, as they measure different things.

Background

The ONS series starts with January to March 1971. Its highest value, 25.9%, was recorded in three overlapping periods in 1983, and its lowest, 20.3%, was for December 2019 to February 2020. The ONS labour market tables break inactivity down by reason, sex and age, which shows how the mix of reasons, such as study, caring and long-term sickness, has changed over time.

Other parts of the UK

ONS: Labour market in the regions of the UK · Nomis: official labour market statistics for local areas · Scottish Government labour market statistics · Welsh Government labour market overview · NISRA Labour Force Survey (Northern Ireland)

How many people are economically inactive because of long-term sickness?

The ONS publishes the number of people aged 16 to 64 who are economically inactive because of long-term sickness in its labour market bulletin and in table INAC01. The figure is a survey estimate and is affected by the same quality issues as the rest of the Labour Force Survey, so compare trends over several periods rather than single months.

Are students counted as economically inactive?

Full-time students who are not working and not looking for work are counted as inactive, and students are one of the largest inactive groups. Students with a part-time job are counted as employed, and those looking for work are counted as unemployed. The ONS publishes figures excluding students for some measures.

Is economic inactivity the same as being on benefits?

No. Inactivity is measured by asking people about their work and job search in the Labour Force Survey. Many inactive people receive no benefits, and some benefit claimants are in work or unemployed. DWP publishes benefit caseloads separately through Stat-Xplore, so a claim linking the two should give both sources.

Related questions

• How is UK unemployment calculated?
• How many people claim benefits in the UK?
• How many people claim PIP?

More on this source: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics and Stat-Xplore