Scottish cities

Economic inactivity rates in Scottish cities, 2023
Economic inactivity in Glasgow has been consistently higher than the Scottish average in the last two decades and was at 25.6% in 2023, compared to the Scottish rate of 22.5%. Dundee had the highest rate shown here, at 29.3%, whilst Edinburgh had the lowest, at 14.2%. Nevertheless, the rate of economic inactivity has reduced in Glasgow and is now closer to the Scottish average.

Reason for economic inactivity in selected Scottish cities
The reasons for economic inactivity differed between the Scottish cities in 2023. Glasgow had the highest proportion of people who were looking after a family/home (26.5%). Almost half of those in Edinburgh who were economically inactive were students (47.2%).

Glasgow had the lowest proportion of people who were economically inactive due to being retired: 4.8% compared to 12.6% in Edinburgh, 13.3% in Dundee, 13.7% in Aberdeen, and a Scottish average of 14.1%. 

Notes

Being economically inactive is an economical concept used by governments to describe those neither in employment nor unemployed. The official definition (from ONS) of being economically inactive is given below:

Economically inactive people are not in employment, but do not satisfy all the criteria for unemployment. This group is comprised of those who want a job but who have not been seeking work in the last four weeks, those who want a job and are seeking work but not available to start and those who do not want a job. For example, students not working or seeking work and those in retirement are classed as economically inactive.

These charts have removed the figures for people who were temporarily sick, as numbers were too small to show for most of the local authorities included. 

This page was updated in February 2025.