Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by willingness to work by country
Countries reporting
47
Highest
27,415 Thousand persons
Türkiye
Lowest
51.4 Thousand persons
Iceland
Median
1,377 Thousand persons
Years covered
43
1983–2025
Data points
1,478
What the numbers show
Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by willingness to work is currently reported for 47 countries. The highest value is 27,415 Thousand persons in Türkiye; the lowest is 51.4 Thousand persons in Iceland.
The median across all reporting countries is 1,377 Thousand persons, and the mean is 4,132 Thousand persons.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 533.
Over the past decade 8 countries rose and 38 fell. The largest increase was in Iceland (up 37.8%), and the largest decrease in Hungary (down 24.9%).
Persons outside the labour force not … Persons willingness work not: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Türkiye | 27,415 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 6.5% | rising |
| 2 | Italy | 18,364 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 8.1% | flat |
| 3 | Germany | 18,090 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 4.8% | falling |
| 4 | France | 16,710 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 3.8% | rising |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 14,230 Thousand persons | 2019 | up 0.9% | rising |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 14,230 Thousand persons | 2019 | up 0.9% | rising |
| 7 | Spain | 12,712 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 7.6% | falling |
| 8 | Poland | 9,811 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 10.4% | falling |
| 8 | Poland | 9,811 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 10.4% | falling |
| 10 | Romania | 6,170 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 1.8% | flat |
| 11 | Belgium | 3,202 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 3.0% | falling |
| 12 | Netherlands | 3,073 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 15.2% | falling |
| 12 | Netherlands | 3,073 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 15.2% | falling |
| 14 | Greece | 2,953 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 9.0% | falling |
| 15 | Portugal | 2,529 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 5.5% | falling |
| 16 | Czechia | 2,338 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 19.0% | falling |
| 17 | Hungary | 2,261 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 24.9% | falling |
| 18 | Austria | 2,040 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 4.2% | falling |
| 19 | Serbia | 1,881 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 19.9% | falling |
| 19 | Serbia | 1,881 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 19.9% | falling |
| 21 | Bulgaria | 1,768 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 19.8% | falling |
| 22 | Sweden | 1,721 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 10.5% | falling |
| 23 | Switzerland | 1,570 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 24 | Slovakia | 1,377 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 10.3% | falling |
| 24 | Slovakia | 1,377 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 10.3% | falling |
| 26 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,219 Thousand persons | 2025 | — | falling |
| 27 | Finland | 1,171 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 11.7% | flat |
| 28 | Croatia | 1,155 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 10.5% | falling |
| 28 | Croatia | 1,155 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 10.5% | falling |
| 30 | Ireland | 1,123 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 2.3% | rising |
| 31 | Denmark | 1,113 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 18.8% | rising |
| 32 | Norway | 1,076 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 2.3% | rising |
| 33 | Lithuania | 631.7 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 14.1% | falling |
| 33 | Lithuania | 631.7 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 14.1% | falling |
| 35 | North Macedonia | 594.5 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 10.3% | falling |
| 35 | North Macedonia | 594.5 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 10.3% | falling |
| 37 | Slovenia | 542.8 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 6.1% | falling |
| 37 | Slovenia | 542.8 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 6.1% | falling |
| 39 | Latvia | 413 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 12.7% | falling |
| 39 | Latvia | 413 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 12.7% | falling |
| 41 | Estonia | 254 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 13.7% | falling |
| 41 | Estonia | 254 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 13.7% | falling |
| 43 | Montenegro | 203 Thousand persons | 2020 | down 9.7% | falling |
| 44 | Cyprus | 201 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 1.9% | rising |
| 45 | Luxembourg | 160.6 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 12.9% | rising |
| 46 | Malta | 119.1 Thousand persons | 2025 | down 13.6% | falling |
| 47 | Iceland | 51.4 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 37.8% | 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) 112,002 Thousand persons
- Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026) 88,587 Thousand persons