Population outside the labour force — Persons outside the labour force in European Union

European Union: Population outside the labour force — Persons outside the labour force was 159,243 Persons in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
159,243 Persons
Change on year
up 0.1%
Rank
2nd
of 10 regions
All-time high
161,635 Persons
in 2020
All-time low
158,325 Persons
in 2012
Years of data
21
2005–2025

Population outside the labour force — Persons outside the labour force in European Union, 2005–2025

050.0k100.0k150.0k2005201520252005: 159.0k Persons2006: 159.0k Persons2007: 159.2k Persons2008: 159.1k Persons2009: 159.7k Persons2010: 158.7k Persons2011: 158.9k Persons2012: 158.3k Persons2013: 158.7k Persons2014: 159.6k Persons2015: 160.3k Persons2016: 160.0k Persons2017: 159.3k Persons2018: 159.3k Persons2019: 159.0k Persons2020: 161.6k Persons2021: 160.2k Persons2022: 158.9k Persons2023: 158.5k Persons2024: 159.0k Persons2025: 159.2k Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

European Union recorded 159,243 Persons for population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force in 2025.

That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force in European Union peaked at 161,635 Persons in 2020 and was at its lowest, 158,325 Persons, in 2012.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 159,200 Persons 159,004 Persons 159,686 Persons 5
2010s 159,216 Persons 158,325 Persons 160,288 Persons 10
2020s 159,580 Persons 158,501 Persons 161,635 Persons 6

Countries ranked near European Union

  1. 1 OECD 444,834 Persons compare
  2. 2 United States 100,465 Persons compare
  3. 3 Mexico 41,805 Persons compare
  4. 4 Japan 39,622 Persons compare
  5. 5 Germany 27,503 Persons compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More work & labour data for European Union

All data for European Union →

Frequently asked questions

What is population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force in European Union?
Population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force in European Union was 159,243 Persons in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force recorded in European Union?
The highest recorded value was 161,635 Persons in 2020.
What is the lowest population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force recorded in European Union?
The lowest recorded value was 158,325 Persons in 2012.
How does European Union rank for population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force?
European Union ranks 2nd out of 10 regions with data for 2025.
Is population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force rising or falling in European Union?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this European Union data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Population outside the labour force — Persons outside the labour force. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population outside the labour force — Persons outside the labour force in European Union. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/population-outside-the-labour-force-persons-outside-the-labour-force/european-union/

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About this data

Indicator
Population outside the labour force — Persons outside the labour force
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
46 places, 1,266 data points, 1955–2025
Last refreshed

The infra-annual dataflow on the outside the labour force population is a subset of the infra-annual labour statistics database, which contains predominantly monthly and quarterly statistics on the outside the labour force population by age groups (15+, 15-24, 25-54, 55-64, 15-64 and 15-74 where available) and sex and associated statistical methodological information and associated statistical methodological information, for the OECD member countries and for selected other economies. The 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 infra-annual labour statistics compiled for all OECD member countries, are drawn from Labour Force Surveys based on definition provided by the 19th Conference of Labour Statisticians in 2013. The uniform application of these definitions across all OECD member countries results in estimates that are internationally comparable.