Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by willingness to work - quarterly data by country
Countries reporting
47
Highest
27,976 Thousand persons
Türkiye
Lowest
52.1 Thousand persons
Iceland
Median
1,376 Thousand persons
Years covered
29
1998–2026
Data points
1,296
What the numbers show
Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by willingness to work - quarterly data is currently reported for 47 countries. The highest value is 27,976 Thousand persons in Türkiye; the lowest is 52.1 Thousand persons in Iceland.
The median across all reporting countries is 1,376 Thousand persons, and the mean is 4,131 Thousand persons.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 537.
Over the past decade 7 countries rose and 40 fell. The largest increase was in Iceland (up 33.9%), and the largest decrease in Finland (down 23.2%).
Persons outside: quarterly data … quarterly willingness work not: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Türkiye | 27,976 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 8.9% | rising |
| 2 | Germany | 18,273 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 0.4% | falling |
| 3 | Italy | 18,121 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 6.1% | falling |
| 4 | France | 16,504 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 6.4% | rising |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 14,434 Thousand persons | 2020 | up 0.8% | rising |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 14,434 Thousand persons | 2020 | up 0.8% | rising |
| 7 | Spain | 12,691 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 5.6% | flat |
| 8 | Poland | 9,711 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 9.5% | falling |
| 9 | Poland | 9,660 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 10.0% | falling |
| 10 | Romania | 6,135 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 1.5% | falling |
| 11 | Belgium | 3,200 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 2.8% | flat |
| 12 | Netherlands | 3,087 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 17.1% | falling |
| 13 | Netherlands | 3,086 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 17.1% | falling |
| 14 | Greece | 2,913 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 9.4% | falling |
| 15 | Portugal | 2,480 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 6.7% | falling |
| 16 | Czechia | 2,293 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 17.9% | falling |
| 17 | Hungary | 2,236 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 22.3% | falling |
| 18 | Austria | 2,038 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 2.5% | falling |
| 19 | Serbia | 1,895 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 17.4% | falling |
| 19 | Serbia | 1,895 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 17.4% | falling |
| 21 | Bulgaria | 1,765 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 21.6% | falling |
| 22 | Sweden | 1,587 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 22.3% | falling |
| 23 | Switzerland | 1,571 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 6.3% | rising |
| 24 | Slovakia | 1,376 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 8.6% | falling |
| 25 | Slovak Republic | 1,375 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 8.7% | falling |
| 26 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,234 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 3.8% | falling |
| 27 | Croatia | 1,144 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 12.8% | falling |
| 28 | Croatia | 1,143 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 12.9% | falling |
| 29 | Ireland | 1,138 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 2.2% | rising |
| 30 | Finland | 1,089 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 23.2% | falling |
| 31 | Denmark | 1,072 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 20.7% | rising |
| 32 | Norway | 1,012 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 14.0% | rising |
| 33 | Lithuania | 638.4 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 6.9% | falling |
| 34 | Lithuania | 620.4 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 9.5% | falling |
| 35 | North Macedonia | 591.1 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 11.6% | falling |
| 35 | North Macedonia | 591.1 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 11.6% | falling |
| 37 | Slovenia | 541.5 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 5.3% | falling |
| 38 | Slovenia | 532.2 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 7.0% | falling |
| 39 | Latvia | 417.8 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 8.3% | falling |
| 40 | Latvia | 395.9 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 13.1% | falling |
| 41 | Estonia | 263 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 8.6% | falling |
| 42 | Estonia | 258.8 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 10.0% | falling |
| 43 | Montenegro | 216.4 Thousand persons | 2020 | down 6.1% | falling |
| 44 | Cyprus | 201.1 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 2.0% | rising |
| 45 | Luxembourg | 161.6 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 46 | Malta | 118.7 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 13.6% | falling |
| 47 | Iceland | 52.1 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 33.9% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) 111,109 Thousand persons
- Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026) 88,125 Thousand persons