Persons outside the labour force not … Persons willingness work not in Netherlands
Netherlands: Persons outside the labour force not … Persons willingness work not was 3,073 Thousand persons in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
3,073 Thousand persons
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
12th
of 47 countries
All-time high
4,902 Thousand persons
in 1985
All-time low
3,073 Thousand persons
in 2025
Years of data
41
1983–2025
Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Netherlands, 1983–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Thousand persons.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 3,073 Thousand persons for persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 41 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Netherlands peaked at 4,902 Thousand persons in 1985 and was at its lowest, 3,073 Thousand persons, in 2025.
That places Netherlands 12th out of 47 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Persons outside the labour force not … Persons willingness work not in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Thousand persons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 4,759 Thousand persons | — |
| 1985 | 4,902 Thousand persons | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 4,306 Thousand persons | -12.2% |
| 1988 | 4,396 Thousand persons | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 4,400 Thousand persons | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 4,365 Thousand persons | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 4,339 Thousand persons | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 4,207 Thousand persons | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 4,222 Thousand persons | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 4,155 Thousand persons | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 4,021 Thousand persons | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 3,974 Thousand persons | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 3,876 Thousand persons | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 3,796 Thousand persons | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 3,718 Thousand persons | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 3,747 Thousand persons | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 3,695 Thousand persons | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 3,608 Thousand persons | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 3,647 Thousand persons | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 3,638 Thousand persons | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 3,815 Thousand persons | +4.9% |
| 2006 | 3,803 Thousand persons | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 3,666 Thousand persons | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 3,575 Thousand persons | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 3,564 Thousand persons | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 3,622 Thousand persons | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 3,631 Thousand persons | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 3,584 Thousand persons | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 3,590 Thousand persons | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 3,649 Thousand persons | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 3,622 Thousand persons | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 3,679 Thousand persons | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 3,704 Thousand persons | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 3,660 Thousand persons | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 3,598 Thousand persons | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 3,654 Thousand persons | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 3,352 Thousand persons | -8.3% |
| 2022 | 3,199 Thousand persons | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 3,104 Thousand persons | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 3,094 Thousand persons | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 3,073 Thousand persons | -0.7% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 3,073 Thousand persons is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1,646 Thousand persons, 1.9× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 3,073 Thousand persons is above the median for high income countries, which is 1,721 Thousand persons, 1.8× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4,552 Thousand persons | 4,306 Thousand persons | 4,902 Thousand persons | 5 |
| 1990s | 4,067 Thousand persons | 3,718 Thousand persons | 4,365 Thousand persons | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,676 Thousand persons | 3,564 Thousand persons | 3,815 Thousand persons | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,634 Thousand persons | 3,584 Thousand persons | 3,704 Thousand persons | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,246 Thousand persons | 3,073 Thousand persons | 3,654 Thousand persons | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More work & labour data for Netherlands
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 5,256 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.71 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 10,535 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.03 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.834 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 130,584 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 94,797 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.03 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.4 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.1112 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Netherlands?
- Persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by in Netherlands was 3,073 Thousand persons in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 4,902 Thousand persons in 1985.
- What is the lowest persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,073 Thousand persons in 2025.
- How does Netherlands rank for persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by?
- Netherlands ranks 12th out of 47 countries with data for 2025.
- Is persons outside the labour force not seeking employment by rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands 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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