Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Germany

Germany: Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by was 18,090 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
18,090
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
2nd
of 35 countries
All-time high
23,170
in 2004
All-time low
17,302
in 1990
Years of data
43
1983–2025

Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Germany, 1983–2025

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k25.0k1983200420251983: 23.1k1984: 18.9k1985: 18.7k1986: 18.4k1987: 18.4k1988: 18.1k1989: 18.0k1990: 17.3k1991: 21.0k1992: 21.7k1993: 22.3k1994: 22.8k1995: 22.8k1996: 23.1k1997: 23.0k1998: 23.0k1999: 22.7k2000: 23.1k2001: 22.9k2002: 23.0k2003: 22.9k2004: 23.2k2005: 22.0k2006: 21.5k2007: 21.4k2008: 21.1k2009: 21.3k2010: 20.6k2011: 19.8k2012: 19.6k2013: 19.2k2014: 19.0k2015: 19.0k2016: 18.6k2017: 18.4k2018: 18.3k2019: 17.8k2020: 18.6k2021: 18.5k2022: 18.3k2023: 18.3k2024: 18.2k2025: 18.1k

Source: Eurostat.

Analysis

Germany recorded 18,090 for persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in 2025.

The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 4.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Germany peaked at 23,170 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 17,302, in 1990.

Germany ranks 2nd of 35 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by willingness to work in Germany, 1983 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1983 23,116
1984 18,877 -18.3%
1985 18,694 -1.0%
1986 18,390 -1.6%
1987 18,428 +0.2%
1988 18,086 -1.9%
1989 17,978 -0.6%
1990 17,302 -3.8%
1991 21,023 +21.5%
1992 21,719 +3.3%
1993 22,291 +2.6%
1994 22,750 +2.1%
1995 22,766 +0.1%
1996 23,144 +1.7%
1997 22,965 -0.8%
1998 22,998 +0.1%
1999 22,702 -1.3%
2000 23,055 +1.6%
2001 22,917 -0.6%
2002 22,995 +0.3%
2003 22,934 -0.3%
2004 23,170 +1.0%
2005 22,005 -5.0%
2006 21,539 -2.1%
2007 21,393 -0.7%
2008 21,148 -1.1%
2009 21,332 +0.9%
2010 20,560 -3.6%
2011 19,776 -3.8%
2012 19,632 -0.7%
2013 19,221 -2.1%
2014 19,000 -1.2%
2015 18,998 -0.0%
2016 18,619 -2.0%
2017 18,380 -1.3%
2018 18,260 -0.7%
2019 17,820 -2.4%
2020 18,596 +4.4%
2021 18,494 -0.5%
2022 18,291 -1.1%
2023 18,297 +0.0%
2024 18,247 -0.3%
2025 18,090 -0.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 19,081 17,978 23,116 7
1990s 21,966 17,302 23,144 10
2000s 22,249 21,148 23,170 10
2010s 19,027 17,820 20,560 10
2020s 18,336 18,090 18,596 6

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 1 Italy 18,364 compare
  2. 3 France 16,710 compare
  3. 4 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 14,230 compare
  4. 5 Spain 12,712 compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More work & labour data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Germany?
Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Germany was 18,090 in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 23,170 in 2004.
What is the lowest persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 17,302 in 1990.
How does Germany rank for persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by?
Germany ranks 2nd out of 35 countries with data for 2025.
Is persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Germany data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by willingness to work. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Germany. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/persons-outside-the-labour-force-not-seeking-employment-by-willingness-to-work/germany/

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About this data

Indicator
Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by willingness to work
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
38 places, 1,168 data points, 1983–2025
Last refreshed