UK economic inactivity rate, aged 16 to 64
People aged 16 to 64 who are neither in work nor looking for work (for example students, carers, long-term sick or retired), as a share of all people of that age, seasonally adjusted. Monthly figures are averages of the three months ending in the month shown (Labour Force Survey).
Trend over time
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The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of people aged 16 to 64. Source: Office for National Statistics, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.
| Period | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| July 2026 | 20.9% |
| June 2026 | 20.9% |
| May 2026 | 20.9% |
| April 2026 | 20.9% |
| March 2026 | 21.0% |
| February 2026 | 20.9% |
| January 2026 | 21.0% |
| December 2025 | 20.7% |
| November 2025 | 20.9% |
| October 2025 | 20.8% |
| September 2025 | 21.0% |
| August 2025 | 20.9% |
| July 2025 | 21.0% |
| June 2025 | 21.0% |
| May 2025 | 20.9% |
| April 2025 | 21.0% |
| March 2025 | 21.2% |
| February 2025 | 21.3% |
| January 2025 | 21.3% |
| December 2024 | 21.5% |
| November 2024 | 21.5% |
| October 2024 | 21.6% |
| September 2024 | 21.7% |
| August 2024 | 21.6% |
| July 2024 | 21.8% |
| June 2024 | 21.9% |
| May 2024 | 22.1% |
| April 2024 | 22.1% |
| March 2024 | 22.1% |
| February 2024 | 22.0% |
| January 2024 | 22.1% |
| December 2023 | 22.0% |
| November 2023 | 22.0% |
| October 2023 | 22.0% |
| September 2023 | 21.9% |
| August 2023 | 21.8% |
| July 2023 | 21.9% |
| June 2023 | 21.6% |
| May 2023 | 21.4% |
| April 2023 | 21.4% |
A dash means no value was published for that period.
About this measure
Before comparing
- Survey response rates have fallen in recent years; the ONS advises caution with recent Labour Force Survey estimates.
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