Economic inactivity
Published
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- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate to By ethnicity section
- 4. Navigate to By ethnicity (White and Other than White) section
- 5. Navigate to By ethnicity over time section
- 6. Navigate to By ethnicity and gender section
- 7. Navigate to By ethnicity and age section
- 8. Navigate to By ethnicity over time (16 to 24 year olds only) section
- 9. Navigate to By ethnicity and area section
- 10. Navigate toData sources section
- 11. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
- 21% of working age people (16 to 64 year olds) in England, Scotland and Wales were economically inactive in 2019, which means they were out of work and not looking for a job
- 20% of White people were economically inactive in 2019, compared with 29% of people from all other ethnic groups combined
- the combined Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic group had the highest rate of economic inactivity (39%)
- the White Other ethnic group had the lowest rate of economic inactivity (14%)
- in every region, White people had a lower rate of economic inactivity than the combined rate for all other ethnic groups
- in every ethnic group, women were more likely than men to be economically inactive
- the biggest gap between men and women was in the combined Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic group, where 57% of women and 21% of men were economically inactive
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data measures the percentage of working age people (16 to 64 year olds) who were ‘economically inactive’.
A person of working age is economically inactive if they are:
- out of work
- not actively looking for work
- not waiting to start a job
- not in full-time education
- caring for their family
- retired
Percentages are rounded to whole numbers.
Not included in the data
The data does not include estimates based on fewer than:
- 30 survey respondents for data covering all ethnic groups together
- 100 survey respondents for data by ethnicity
This is to protect people’s confidentiality and because the numbers involved are too small to make reliable generalisations.
The ethnic groups used in the data
The data uses the ethnic categories from the 2011 Census.
Data is aggregated for the Black, Mixed and Other ethnic groups, which means estimates are shown for these groups as a whole.
Data is shown separately for White British people and all other White people (‘White Other’ ethnic group). Separate figures are also shown for 3 different Asian ethnic groups (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi combined, and Asian Other).
Data by ethnicity and area is shown for 2 ethnic groups (White, and Other than White).
People whose ethnicity is not known are included in the figures for ‘All’.
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document for this data.
The Annual Population Survey updated its ethnicity questions in 2011. As a result, estimates from before and after 2011 may not be consistent, and data for individual ethnic groups in 2011 is not available.
The figures on this page are based on survey data. Find out more about:
- interpreting survey data, including how reliability is affected by the number of people surveyed
- how weighting is used to make survey data more representative of the whole group being studied
In the data file
See Download the data for:
- estimates by region, age group and sex over time for detailed ethnic groups
- estimates by local authority for White and Other than White groups
- confidence intervals for each ethnic group – read about how we use confidence intervals
- sample sizes
- estimates rounded to 1 decimal place
3. By ethnicity
Ethnicity | % | Number of people economically inactive |
---|---|---|
All | 21 | 8,468,400 |
Asian | 31 | 999,100 |
Indian | 21 | 253,000 |
Pakistani, Bangladeshi | 39 | 492,900 |
Asian Other | 31 | 253,200 |
Black | 25 | 365,300 |
Mixed | 26 | 136,900 |
White | 20 | 6,699,800 |
White British | 20 | 6,255,300 |
White Other | 14 | 444,500 |
Other | 32 | 258,600 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Economic inactivity By ethnicity Summary
The data shows that:
- 21% of working age people in England, Scotland and Wales were economically inactive in 2019
- 39% of people from the combined Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic group were economically inactive, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups
- 14% of people from the White Other ethnic group were economically inactive, the lowest percentage out of all ethnic groups
4. By ethnicity (White and Other than White)
Ethnicity | % | Number of people economically inactive |
---|---|---|
All | 21 | 8,468,400 |
White | 20 | 6,699,800 |
Other than White | 29 | 1,759,900 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity (White and Other than White)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity (White and Other than White)’ (CSV)
Summary of Economic inactivity By ethnicity (White and Other than White) Summary
The data shows that:
- White people were less likely to be economically inactive in 2019 (20%) than people from all other ethnic groups combined (29%)
5. By ethnicity over time
Ethnicity | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
% | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
All | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
Asian | 37 | 37 | 36 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 34 | not collected | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 31 |
Indian | 27 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 | not collected | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 21 |
Pakistani, Bangladeshi | 49 | 49 | 48 | 48 | 46 | 44 | 44 | not collected | 42 | 41 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 39 | 38 | 39 |
Asian Other | 36 | 36 | 34 | 33 | 31 | 32 | 36 | not collected | 34 | 36 | 33 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 31 |
Black | 31 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | not collected | 27 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 25 |
Mixed | 29 | 30 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 28 | not collected | 29 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 26 |
White | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | not collected | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
White British | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | not collected | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 |
White Other | 25 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | not collected | 20 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
Other | 38 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 35 | 36 | 35 | not collected | 35 | 35 | 37 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 34 | 32 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Economic inactivity By ethnicity over time Summary
The data shows that:
- in most ethnic groups, the rate of economic inactivity was lower in 2019 than in 2004
- although the rate appears to be lower in the Asian Other and Mixed ethnic groups, the decrease was too small to be reliable
- the biggest decreases were in the combined Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic group, (down from 49% to 39%) and the White Other ethnic group (down from 25% to 14%)
- in every year from 2004 to 2019, the combined Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic group had the highest rate of economic inactivity out of all ethnic groups
6. By ethnicity and gender
All | Men | Women | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ethnicity | All % | All Number of people economically inactive | Men % | Men Number of people economically inactive | Women % | Women Number of people economically inactive |
All | 21 | 8,468,400 | 17 | 3,323,500 | 26 | 5,144,900 |
Asian | 31 | 999,100 | 19 | 305,900 | 42 | 693,200 |
Indian | 21 | 253,000 | 15 | 91,000 | 28 | 162,000 |
Pakistani, Bangladeshi | 39 | 492,900 | 21 | 135,400 | 57 | 357,600 |
Asian Other | 31 | 253,200 | 22 | 79,500 | 39 | 173,700 |
Black | 25 | 365,300 | 22 | 147,100 | 28 | 218,200 |
Mixed | 26 | 136,900 | 23 | 60,300 | 28 | 76,600 |
White | 20 | 6,699,800 | 16 | 2,716,200 | 23 | 3,983,600 |
White British | 20 | 6,255,300 | 17 | 2,584,600 | 24 | 3,670,700 |
White Other | 14 | 444,500 | 9 | 131,600 | 19 | 312,900 |
Other | 32 | 258,600 | 23 | 91,200 | 41 | 167,400 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and gender’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and gender’ (CSV)
Summary of Economic inactivity By ethnicity and gender Summary
The data shows that:
- 26% of women and 17% of men were economically inactive in 2019
- in every ethnic group, women were more likely to be economically inactive than men
- the gap between men and women was biggest in the combined Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic group, where 57% of women and 21% of men were economically inactive
- the highest rate of economic inactivity among women was in the combined Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic group (57%)
- the highest rate among men was in the Mixed and Other ethnic groups (23%)
- the lowest rates were in the White Other ethnic group for both men (9%) and women (19%)
7. By ethnicity and age
All | 16-24 | 25-49 | 50-64 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ethnicity | All % | All Number of people economically inactive | 16-24 % | 16-24 Number of people economically inactive | 25-49 % | 25-49 Number of people economically inactive | 50-64 % | 50-64 Number of people economically inactive |
All | 21 | 8,468,400 | 39 | 2,607,100 | 13 | 2,710,400 | 26 | 3,150,900 |
Asian | 31 | 999,100 | 58 | 374,000 | 22 | 452,300 | 30 | 172,900 |
Indian | 21 | 253,000 | 56 | 95,200 | 13 | 101,700 | 23 | 56,000 |
Pakistani, Bangladeshi | 39 | 492,900 | 56 | 176,800 | 31 | 240,900 | 42 | 75,200 |
Asian Other | 31 | 253,200 | 64 | 101,900 | 22 | 109,600 | 28 | 41,600 |
Black | 25 | 365,300 | 53 | 154,100 | 17 | 136,500 | 21 | 74,700 |
Mixed | 26 | 136,900 | 48 | 79,300 | 13 | 36,800 | 30 | 20,700 |
White | 20 | 6,699,800 | 35 | 1,905,600 | 11 | 1,959,300 | 25 | 2,834,900 |
White British | 20 | 6,255,300 | 35 | 1,772,700 | 12 | 1,739,900 | 26 | 2,742,700 |
White Other | 14 | 444,500 | 35 | 132,900 | 10 | 219,400 | 19 | 92,200 |
Other | 32 | 258,600 | 63 | 92,400 | 24 | 121,300 | 30 | 44,900 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and age’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and age’ (CSV)
Summary of Economic inactivity By ethnicity and age Summary
The data shows that:
- 39% of all 16 to 24 year olds were economically inactive in 2019, compared with 13% of 25 to 49 year olds, and 26% of 50 to 64 year olds
- in every ethnic group, 16 to 24 year olds had the highest rate of economic inactivity out of the 3 age groups
- among 16 to 24 year olds, the highest rate of economic inactivity was in the Asian Other ethnic group (64%), and the lowest was in the White British and White Other ethnic groups (35%)
- among 25 to 49 year olds, the highest rate of economic inactivity was in the combined Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic group (31%), and the lowest was in the White Other ethnic group (10%)
- among 50 to 64 year olds, the highest rate of economic inactivity was in the combined Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic group (42%), and the lowest was in the White Other ethnic group (19%)
8. By ethnicity over time (16 to 24 year olds only)
Ethnicity | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
% | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
All | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 38 | 37 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 37 | 38 | 38 | 39 | 39 |
Asian | 53 | 54 | 51 | 54 | 52 | 55 | 58 | not collected | 56 | 57 | 60 | 57 | 60 | 58 | 56 | 58 |
Indian | 46 | 49 | 44 | 45 | 48 | 51 | 51 | not collected | 46 | 54 | 58 | 54 | 59 | 49 | 52 | 56 |
Pakistani, Bangladeshi | 56 | 55 | 52 | 56 | 52 | 54 | 56 | not collected | 56 | 52 | 55 | 53 | 56 | 58 | 53 | 56 |
Asian Other | 57 | 60 | 60 | 62 | 59 | 65 | 70 | not collected | 68 | 69 | 69 | 67 | 68 | 65 | 65 | 64 |
Black | 47 | 50 | 48 | 49 | 53 | 52 | 55 | not collected | 53 | 53 | 54 | 56 | 50 | 56 | 57 | 53 |
Mixed | 39 | 41 | 38 | 39 | 45 | 47 | 45 | not collected | 42 | 38 | 43 | 46 | 48 | 45 | 46 | 48 |
White | 29 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 34 | not collected | 34 | 35 | 35 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 |
White British | 29 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 34 | not collected | 34 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 35 | 35 |
White Other | 36 | 30 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 35 | 37 | not collected | 44 | 42 | 41 | 36 | 36 | 40 | 40 | 35 |
Other | 55 | 53 | 53 | 55 | 50 | 60 | 61 | not collected | 58 | 63 | 65 | 59 | 61 | 63 | 64 | 63 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time (16 to 24 year olds only)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time (16 to 24 year olds only)’ (CSV)
Summary of Economic inactivity By ethnicity over time (16 to 24 year olds only) Summary
16 to 24 year olds were more likely to be economically inactive than older people. This is partly because people in this age group were more likely to be students.
The data shows that:
- between 2004 and 2019, the rate of economic inactivity for all 16 to 24 year olds went up from 32% to 39%
9. By ethnicity and area
All | White | Other than White | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Region | All % | All Number of people economically inactive | White % | White Number of people economically inactive | Other than White % | Other than White Number of people economically inactive |
All | 21 | 8,468,400 | 20 | 6,699,800 | 29 | 1,759,900 |
East Midlands | 20 | 588,900 | 19 | 480,200 | 28 | 108,000 |
East of England | 19 | 731,500 | 19 | 635,900 | 24 | 94,200 |
London | 22 | 1,329,800 | 18 | 659,300 | 28 | 667,900 |
North East | 25 | 409,900 | 24 | 375,300 | 38 | 34,500 |
North West | 22 | 1,001,000 | 21 | 816,900 | 34 | 183,400 |
Scotland | 23 | 772,800 | 22 | 701,400 | 36 | 70,400 |
South East | 18 | 1,003,000 | 18 | 869,900 | 22 | 132,900 |
South West | 18 | 606,100 | 18 | 563,600 | 22 | 41,900 |
Wales | 24 | 450,800 | 23 | 410,500 | 34 | 40,200 |
West Midlands | 22 | 804,500 | 20 | 559,000 | 32 | 244,600 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 23 | 770,100 | 21 | 627,800 | 36 | 141,800 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and area’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and area’ (CSV)
Summary of Economic inactivity By ethnicity and area Summary
The data shows that:
- White people had a lower rate of economic inactivity than people from all other ethnic groups combined in every region except the South West, where the difference between the 2 groups was too small to be reliable
- the gap was biggest in Scotland, where 22% of White people and 36% of people from all other ethnic groups combined were economically inactive
- people from the White Other ethnic group in the East of England had the lowest rate of economic inactivity out of all ethnic groups and regions (12%)
- the highest rate was among people from the Other ethnic group in the North East (52%)
10. Data sources
Source
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Office for National Statistics
Note on corrections or updates
Higher-level figures may differ from those published by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Office for National Statistics that use the Labour Force Survey.
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The Annual Population Survey (APS) is the largest ongoing household survey in the UK and covers a range of topics, including:
- personal characteristics
- labour market status
- work characteristics
- education
- health
The purpose of the APS is to provide information on important social and socio-economic variables at local levels, such as labour market estimates.
The published statistics also allow the government to monitor estimates on a range of issues between censuses.
11. Download the data
This file contains the following: Measure, Measure_type, Ethnicity, Ethnicity_type, Time, Time_type, Local_authority, Age, Value, Confidence_interval, Numerator, Denominator, Sample_size
This file contains the following: Measure, Measure_type, Ethnicity, Ethnicity_type, Time, Time_type, Region, Age, Age_type, Sex, Value, Confidence_interval, Numerator, Denominator, Sample_size