The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 5 December 2006:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about economic inactivity rates by gender, region and country from 2004 to 2006. I am replying in her absence. (107341)
The attached table gives estimates of inactivity rates by gender, region and country of residence for people of working age for every quarter since the three-month period ending March 2004.
Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
Percentage United Kingdom All persons Males Females 2004 Q1 21.3 16.2 26.7 Q2 21.5 16.4 26.9 Q3 21.5 16.5 26.9 Q4 21.3 16.4 26.6 2005 Q1 21.4 16.4 26.7 Q2 21.5 16.6 26.7 Q3 21.3 16.6 26.5 Q4 21.4 16.5 26.7 2006 Q1 21.1 16.5 26.1 Q2 21.0 16.3 26.0 Q3 21.0 16.1 26.3 Great Britain 2004 Q1 21.1 16.1 26.5 Q2 21.3 16.2 26.6 Q3 21.4 16.4 26.7 Q4 21.2 16.3 26.4 2005 Q1 21.2 16.3 26.5 Q2 21.3 16.5 26.5 Q3 21.2 16.5 26.3 Q4 21.3 16.4 26.5 2006 Q1 21.0 16.4 26.0 Q2 20.9 16.2 25.9 Q3 20.8 15.9 26.1 England 2004 Q1 21.0 15.8 26.5 Q2 21.2 16.0 26.7 Q3 21.2 16.1 26.7 Q4 21.1 16.0 26.6 2005 Q1 21.2 16.0 26.7 Q2 21.2 16.2 26.6 Q3 21.2 16.3 26.4 Q4 21.2 16.2 26.6 2006 Q1 20.8 16.1 26.0 Q2 20.7 15.8 26.0 Q3 20.7 15.6 26.2 North East 2004 Q1 25.9 22.0 30.0 Q2 26.0 22.6 29.7 Q3 25.4 22.2 28.8 Q4 25.3 21.9 28.9 2005 Q1 25.3 22.0 28.9 Q2 24.6 21.0 28.4 Q3 25.3 21.5 29.2 Q4 25.0 21.1 29.1 2006 Q1 23.9 20.2 27.9 Q2 23.5 19.5 27.9 Q3 23.8 19.8 27.9 North West 2004 Q1 22.5 18.4 26.9 Q2 22.7 18.9 26.8 Q3 23.0 19.4 26.9 Q4 22.3 17.9 27.0 2005 Q1 23.0 19.1 27.1 Q2 23.2 19.3 27.3 Q3 22.9 19.8 26.3 Q4 23.3 20.0 26.8 2006 Q1 22.7 19.5 26.2 Q2 22.5 19.2 26.1 Q3 22.1 18.0 26.4 Yorkshire and the Humber 2004 Q1 22.0 17.3 27.0 Q2 22.3 17.4 27.4 Q3 22.1 17.4 27.0 Q4 21.8 17.1 26.9 2005 Q1 22.0 17.3 27.1 Q2 21.9 16.9 27.2 Q3 21.6 16.6 27.1 Q4 21.2 16.2 26.6 2006 Q1 21.5 17.1 26.2 Q2 21.3 16.8 26.0 Q3 21.7 16.5 27.3 East Midlands 2004 Q1 19.8 15.3 24.7 Q2 20.3 15.5 25.6 Q3 21.1 16.0 26.6 Q4 20.5 16.2 25.2 2005 Q1 20.2 15.2 25.5 Q2 20.1 15.6 25.0 Q3 19.2 14.9 23.9 Q4 18.9 14.5 23.8 2006 Q1 18.8 14.5 23.6 Q2 18.6 14.3 23.2 Q3 18.5 14.3 23.1 West Midlands 2004 Q1 21.7 16.6 27.2 Q2 21.6 16.4 27.4 Q3 20.9 15.4 26.9 Q4 21.3 16.5 26.5 2005 Q1 21.6 16.2 27.5 Q2 21.8 16.2 28.0 Q3 22.2 17.0 27.9 Q4 22.4 16.6 28.7 2006 Q1 22.0 16.7 27.8 Q2 21.6 16.7 26.9 Q3 21.2 15.5 27.3 East 2004 Q1 17.5 12.1 23.3 Q2 17.8 12.7 23.3 Q3 18.1 13.1 23.4 Q4 18.0 12.6 23.9 2005 Q1 18.0 12.5 23.9 Q2 18.1 12.6 23.9 Q3 18.0 12.3 24.3 Q4 18.7 13.2 24.6 2006 Q1 18.6 13.5 24.1 Q2 18.9 12.9 25.5 Q3 18.9 13.2 25.1 London 2004 Q1 24.5 17.3 32.1 Q2 24.5 17.3 32.3 Q3 25.1 18.0 32.8 Q4 25.3 18.4 32.6 2005 Q1 25.0 18.2 32.2 Q2 25.2 18.6 32.3 Q3 25.3 18.7 32.4 Q4 25.1 18.2 32.4 2006 Q1 24.2 17.2 31.7 Q2 24.4 17.3 31.9 Q3 24.2 17.0 31.9 South East 2004 Q1 18.2 12.5 24.2 Q2 18.2 12.5 24.2 Q3 17.9 12.6 23.6 Q4 17.9 12.4 23.8 2005 Q1 18.0 12.7 23.7 Q2 17.8 12.9 23.1 Q3 17.8 12.8 23.2 Q4 17.7 12.7 23.0 2006 Q1 17.4 12.8 22.4 Q2 17.1 12.4 22.2 Q3 17.3 12.5 22.5 South West 2004 Q1 18.3 14.2 22.7 Q2 18.9 14.5 23.6 Q3 18.6 13.8 23.6 Q4 18.6 13.8 23.7 2005 Q1 18.2 13.7 23.0 Q2 18.5 14.6 22.7 Q3 18.6 15.0 22.5 Q4 18.9 15.0 23.1 2006 Q1 18.9 15.2 22.9 Q2 18.4 14.6 22.7 Q3 18.9 15.3 22.8 Wales 2004 Q1 23.7 19.7 28.0 Q2 24.1 19.6 29.0 Q3 24.9 20.9 29.2 Q4 24.5 21.3 27.9 2005 Q1 24.7 21.5 28.2 Q2 25.1 22.0 28.4 Q3 24.1 20.5 27.9 Q4 24.4 20.5 28.7 2006 Q1 24.8 21.2 28.7 Q2 24.0 20.7 27.6 Q3 23.7 20.2 27.4 Scotland 2004 Q1 20.9 16.9 25.1 Q2 20.5 16.7 24.4 Q3 20.7 16.7 24.8 Q4 20.2 16.7 23.9 2005 Q1 20.1 16.4 24.1 Q2 20.6 16.5 24.9 Q3 20.3 16.4 24.5 Q4 20.4 16.4 24.5 2006 Q1 20.4 16.9 24.2 Q2 20.8 17.8 23.9 Q3 20.8 17.4 24.2 Northern Ireland 2004 Q1 29.1 22.3 36.2 Q2 29.4 22.5 36.7 Q3 29.4 22.1 37.1 Q4 27.4 21.2 33.9 2005 Q1 27.6 21.2 34.5 Q2 27.8 22.2 33.7 Q3 26.9 21.2 33.0 Q4 28.0 21.8 34.4 2006 Q1 27.3 21.4 33.6 Q2 26.7 20.8 33.0 Q3 27.5 21.7 33.7 1 Economically inactive people of working age as a percentage of all persons of working age. 2 Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59. Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)