Persons outside: ICLS19) (15+) … current in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Persons outside: ICLS19) (15+) … current was 21,214 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Persons outside the labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in United Kingdom, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 21,214 for persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in 2025.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in United Kingdom peaked at 21,357 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 19,662, in 2014.
That places United Kingdom 9th out of 70 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Persons outside: ICLS19) (15+) … current in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 19,662 | — |
| 2015 | 19,742 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 19,812 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 19,943 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 19,948 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 20,029 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 20,208 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 20,550 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 20,641 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 20,880 | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 21,357 | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 21,214 | -0.7% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 21,214 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,472, 8.6× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 21,214 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2,475, 8.6× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 19,856 | 19,662 | 20,029 | 6 |
| 2020s | 20,808 | 20,208 | 21,357 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More work & labour data for United Kingdom
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 22,956 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 60.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 35,770 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.93 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.07 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 111,361 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,223 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 57.91 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.47 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.4352 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in United Kingdom?
- Persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in United Kingdom was 21,214 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 21,357 in 2024.
- What is the lowest persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 19,662 in 2014.
- How does United Kingdom rank for persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- United Kingdom ranks 9th out of 70 countries with data for 2025.
- Is persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Persons outside the labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
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 includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. Persons outside the labour force comprise all persons of working age who, during the specified reference period, were not in the labour force (that is, were not employed or unemployed). For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.