Persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private in Netherlands
Netherlands: Persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private was 23.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private in Netherlands, 1983–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
In 2025, persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private in Netherlands stood at 23.8%. That is the lowest value across all 41 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private in Netherlands peaked at 46.7% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 23.8%, in 2025.
Netherlands ranks 43rd of 45 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 46.4% | — |
| 1985 | 46.7% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 40.7% | -12.8% |
| 1988 | 41.0% | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 40.6% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 39.7% | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 39.1% | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 38.6% | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 38.4% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 37.6% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 37.2% | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 36.6% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 35.2% | -3.8% |
| 1998 | 34.3% | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 33.3% | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 32.1% | -3.6% |
| 2001 | 31.3% | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 30.5% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 30.6% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 30.4% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 31.8% | +4.6% |
| 2006 | 31.6% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 30.5% | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 29.5% | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 29.3% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 29.8% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 30.0% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 29.5% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 29.5% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 29.9% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 29.8% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 30.0% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 29.9% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 29.5% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 28.8% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 28.9% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 26.5% | -8.3% |
| 2022 | 25.2% | -4.9% |
| 2023 | 24.2% | -4.0% |
| 2024 | 24.0% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 23.8% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 43.1% | 40.6% | 46.7% | 5 |
| 1990s | 37.0% | 33.3% | 39.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.8% | 29.3% | 32.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.7% | 28.8% | 30.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.4% | 23.8% | 28.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 41 Switzerland 24.5% compare
- 42 Sweden 24.3% compare
- 43 Netherlands 23.8% compare
- 45 Iceland 18.5% compare
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 - % of total population in private in Netherlands?
- Persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private in Netherlands was 23.8% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 46.7% in 1985.
- What is the lowest persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.8% in 2025.
- How does Netherlands rank for persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private?
- Netherlands ranks 43rd out of 45 countries with data for 2025.
- Is persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.1%. 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 - % of total population in private households. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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