Inactivity Rate in the United Kingdom decreased to 20.90 percent in May from 21 percent in April of 2026. Inactivity Rate in the United Kingdom averaged 23.12 percent from 1971 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 25.90 percent in April of 1983 and a record low of 20.30 percent in February of 2020.

Related	Last	Previous	Unit	Reference
Average Earnings excl. Bonus (3Mo/Yr)	3.40	3.40	percent	May 2026
Average Weekly Hours	31.90	31.80	Hours	May 2026
Claimant Count Change	6.70	1.30	Thousand	Jun 2026
Employed Persons	34475.00	34411.00	Thousand	May 2026
Employment Change	148.00	99.00	Thousand	May 2026
Employment Rate	75.10	75.10	percent	May 2026
Full Time Employment	25695.00	25664.00	Thousand	May 2026
Inactivity Rate	20.90	21.00	percent	May 2026
Job Vacancies	712.00	710.00	Thousand	May 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate	79.10	79.00	percent	May 2026
Labour Costs	112.50	111.50	points	Dec 2025
HMRC Payrolls Change	-3.86	2.83	Thousand	Jun 2026
Part Time Employment	8780.00	8748.00	Thousand	May 2026
Population	69.49	69.28	Million	Dec 2025
Labour Productivity	99.99	99.10	points	Mar 2026
Real Earnings Excluding Bonuses	0.40	0.50	percent	May 2026
Real Earnings Including Bonuses	0.50	1.70	percent	May 2026
Unemployed Persons	1681.90	1680.60	Thousand	May 2026
Unemployment Rate	4.90	4.90	percent	May 2026
Average Earnings incl. Bonus (3Mo/Yr)	4.30	4.40	percent	May 2026
Average Weekly Wages	749.00	754.00	GBP/Week	May 2026
Wages in Manufacturing	812.00	823.00	GBP/Week	May 2026
Youth Unemployment Rate	14.80	14.50	percent	May 2026

United Kingdom Inactivity Rate

In the United Kingdom, the inactivity rate refers to those aged from 16 to 64 not in employment who have not been seeking work within the last 4 weeks and/or are unable to start work within the next 2 weeks.