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UK cities

Economic inactivity rates across selected UK cities
Chart showing economic inactivity levels in UK cities in 2023. Economic inactivity in Glasgow (25.6%) was lower in 2023 than in Nottingham (29.7%), Birmingham (28.3%) or Liverpool (26.1%), but it was higher than in the other cities shown or than the UK average (21.3%). Nevertheless, the economic inactivity rate in Glasgow has dropped from a peak in 2012 and was above but much closer to the Scottish average in 2023.

The lowest rate shown here was in Edinburgh (14.2%) and the lowest rate in the English cities shown was in Bristol (20.8%). 

Reasons for economic inactivity in UK cities
Chart showing the reasons for economic inactivity in UK cities in 2023The reasons for economic inactivity differ across the UK cities, although being either a student or suffering long-term sickness accounts for the majority of reasons in all cities.

Compared to the other cities shown, Glasgow had the second lowest rate of students (31.2%) after Newcastle (30.6%), and the second lowest rate of retired people (jointly, with Nottingham, 4.8%), after Birmingham (4.6%). 

Sheffield had the highest proportion of economically inactive people who were long-term sick (34%), and Leeds had the lowest (18.6%). The highest proportion of students was in Edinburgh (47.2%) and Nottingham (44.1%). The highest proportion of retired people was in Leeds (15.1%). 

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 cities included. 

This page was updated in February 2025.

Further reading under ‘Economic inactivity’