Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Portugal

Portugal: Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by was 2,518 Thousand persons in 2026. ▼ Falling

Latest (2026)
2,518 Thousand persons
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
15th
of 45 countries
All-time high
2,755 Thousand persons
in 1999
All-time low
2,518 Thousand persons
in 2026
Years of data
29
1998–2026

Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Portugal, 1998–2026

01.0k2.0k3.0k1998201220261998: 2.7k Thousand persons1999: 2.8k Thousand persons2000: 2.7k Thousand persons2001: 2.7k Thousand persons2002: 2.7k Thousand persons2003: 2.7k Thousand persons2004: 2.7k Thousand persons2005: 2.6k Thousand persons2006: 2.6k Thousand persons2007: 2.6k Thousand persons2008: 2.6k Thousand persons2009: 2.7k Thousand persons2010: 2.6k Thousand persons2011: 2.7k Thousand persons2012: 2.7k Thousand persons2013: 2.7k Thousand persons2014: 2.7k Thousand persons2015: 2.7k Thousand persons2016: 2.7k Thousand persons2017: 2.6k Thousand persons2018: 2.6k Thousand persons2019: 2.6k Thousand persons2020: 2.7k Thousand persons2021: 2.7k Thousand persons2022: 2.6k Thousand persons2023: 2.5k Thousand persons2024: 2.5k Thousand persons2025: 2.5k Thousand persons2026: 2.5k Thousand persons

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Thousand persons.

Analysis

The most recent figure for persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Portugal is 2,518 Thousand persons, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.

The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Portugal peaked at 2,755 Thousand persons in 1999 and was at its lowest, 2,518 Thousand persons, in 2026.

Portugal ranks 15th of 45 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.

Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Portugal, year by year

Annual values for Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by willingness to work - quarterly data in Portugal, 1998 to 2026.
Year Thousand persons Change
1998 2,748 Thousand persons
1999 2,755 Thousand persons +0.3%
2000 2,719 Thousand persons -1.3%
2001 2,681 Thousand persons -1.4%
2002 2,664 Thousand persons -0.6%
2003 2,669 Thousand persons +0.2%
2004 2,671 Thousand persons +0.1%
2005 2,631 Thousand persons -1.5%
2006 2,619 Thousand persons -0.5%
2007 2,595 Thousand persons -0.9%
2008 2,610 Thousand persons +0.6%
2009 2,651 Thousand persons +1.5%
2010 2,648 Thousand persons -0.1%
2011 2,671 Thousand persons +0.9%
2012 2,662 Thousand persons -0.3%
2013 2,655 Thousand persons -0.3%
2014 2,692 Thousand persons +1.4%
2015 2,663 Thousand persons -1.1%
2016 2,658 Thousand persons -0.2%
2017 2,604 Thousand persons -2.0%
2018 2,608 Thousand persons +0.1%
2019 2,580 Thousand persons -1.1%
2020 2,656 Thousand persons +3.0%
2021 2,672 Thousand persons +0.6%
2022 2,606 Thousand persons -2.5%
2023 2,548 Thousand persons -2.2%
2024 2,549 Thousand persons +0.1%
2025 2,521 Thousand persons -1.1%
2026 2,518 Thousand persons -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,751 Thousand persons 2,748 Thousand persons 2,755 Thousand persons 2
2000s 2,651 Thousand persons 2,595 Thousand persons 2,719 Thousand persons 10
2010s 2,644 Thousand persons 2,580 Thousand persons 2,692 Thousand persons 10
2020s 2,581 Thousand persons 2,518 Thousand persons 2,672 Thousand persons 7

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 12 Netherlands 3,086 Thousand persons compare
  2. 12 Netherlands 3,086 Thousand persons compare
  3. 14 Greece 2,912 Thousand persons compare
  4. 16 Czechia 2,343 Thousand persons compare
  5. 17 Hungary 2,255 Thousand persons compare
  6. 18 Austria 2,050 Thousand persons compare

See the full ranking of 47 places →

More work & labour data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Portugal?
Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Portugal was 2,518 Thousand persons in 2026, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 2,755 Thousand persons in 1999.
What is the lowest persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 2,518 Thousand persons in 2026.
How does Portugal rank for persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by?
Portugal ranks 15th out of 45 countries with data for 2026.
Is persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Portugal data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by willingness to work - quarterly data. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/persons-outside-the-labour-force-not-seeking-employment-by-willingness-to-work-quarterly/portugal/

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About this data

Indicator
Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by willingness to work - quarterly data
Unit
Thousand persons
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
47 places, 1,257 data points, 1998–2026
Last refreshed