Persons outside the labour force in Spain

Spain: Persons outside the labour force was 16,686 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
16,686
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
8th
of 57 countries
All-time high
16,686
in 2025
All-time low
14,839
in 2004
Years of data
22
2004–2025

Persons outside the labour force in Spain, 2004–2025

05.0k10.0k15.0k2004201420252004: 14.8k2005: 15.4k2006: 15.5k2007: 15.6k2008: 15.5k2009: 15.3k2010: 15.2k2011: 16.0k2012: 15.7k2013: 15.2k2014: 15.2k2015: 14.9k2016: 15.2k2017: 15.6k2018: 15.4k2019: 15.8k2020: 16.1k2021: 16.0k2022: 16.0k2023: 16.0k2024: 16.4k2025: 16.7k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2025, persons outside the labour force in Spain stood at 16,686. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 11.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, persons outside the labour force in Spain peaked at 16,686 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 14,839, in 2004.

That places Spain 8th out of 57 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Persons outside the labour force in Spain, year by year

Annual values for Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Spain, 2004 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2004 14,839
2005 15,445 +4.1%
2006 15,526 +0.5%
2007 15,623 +0.6%
2008 15,462 -1.0%
2009 15,306 -1.0%
2010 15,164 -0.9%
2011 16,010 +5.6%
2012 15,710 -1.9%
2013 15,247 -2.9%
2014 15,194 -0.3%
2015 14,917 -1.8%
2016 15,218 +2.0%
2017 15,559 +2.2%
2018 15,376 -1.2%
2019 15,805 +2.8%
2020 16,104 +1.9%
2021 15,991 -0.7%
2022 16,043 +0.3%
2023 15,966 -0.5%
2024 16,417 +2.8%
2025 16,686 +1.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15,367 14,839 15,623 6
2010s 15,420 14,917 16,010 10
2020s 16,201 15,966 16,686 6

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 5 France 23,708 compare
  2. 6 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 21,214 compare
  3. 7 Poland 16,874 compare
  4. 9 Thailand 15,123 compare
  5. 10 Colombia 14,654 compare
  6. 11 Sri Lanka 9,239 compare

See the full ranking of 57 places →

More work & labour data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is persons outside the labour force in Spain?
Persons outside the labour force in Spain was 16,686 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest persons outside the labour force recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 16,686 in 2025.
What is the lowest persons outside the labour force recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 14,839 in 2004.
How does Spain rank for persons outside the labour force?
Spain ranks 8th out of 57 countries with data for 2025.
Is persons outside the labour force rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Spain data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Persons outside the labour force in Spain. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/persons-outside-the-labour-force-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/spain/

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About this data

Indicator
Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
57 places, 865 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. Persons outside the labour force comprise all persons of working age who, during the specified reference period, were not in the labour force (that is, were not employed or unemployed). The term disability, as defined in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), is used as an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. For measurement purposes, a person with disability is defined as a person who is limited in the kind or amount of activities that he or she can do because of ongoing difficulties due to a long-term physical condition, mental condition or health problem. For more information, refer to the Disability Labour Market Indicators (DLMI) database description.