Metric permalink
Economic inactivity rate (16–64)
Part of the Work and Productivity domain. Share of 16–64 year-olds who are neither employed nor actively seeking work, including students, carers and the long-term sick.
Latest data
Latest reading
2025
A higher reading is treated as worse for this indicator.
Score composition
Stress score
Blended from three components: (60% weight), trend (30% weight) and volatility (10% weight). Full formula on the methodology page.
Level · 60% weight
Percentile: this metric is scored against its own history, where today sits between its best and worst recorded years.
Trend · 30% weight
Measured from the direction and size of the change between the two most recent readings.
Volatility · 10% weight
12Measured from how much this indicator has swung period on period across its recorded history.
Data confidence and provenance
Confidence and source
How much weight to put on the reading, the mean data-confidence across the component metrics (source quality, recency and completeness).
Source
Labour market overview
- Update frequency
- Monthly
- Reliability
- medium
Provenance
- Provider
- ONS
- Series ID
- LF2S/LMS
- Frequency
- annual
- Accessed
- 13 August 2026
Known weakness
Inactivity is a heterogeneous category mixing voluntary (study, caring) and involuntary (ill-health) states that have very different policy implications.
Notes
Verified official value from ONS (LF2S/LMS), accessed 2026-08-13.
Historical values
History
| Period | Value | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 23 | |
| 2007 | 23.2 | |
| 2008 | 23 | |
| 2009 | 23.1 | |
| 2010 | 23.5 | |
| 2011 | 23.3 | |
| 2012 | 22.8 | |
| 2013 | 22.4 | |
| 2014 | 22.2 | |
| 2015 | 22.1 | |
| 2016 | 21.8 | |
| 2017 | 21.5 | |
| 2018 | 21.2 | |
| 2019 | 20.8 | |
| 2020 | 21.2 | |
| 2021 | 21.5 | |
| 2022 | 21.9 | |
| 2023 | 21.7 | |
| 2024 | 21.8 | |
| 2025 | 21 |