Fuel and travel costs are pushing prices up again
Thursday 5 November 2026
Inflation has risen to 3.1%, meaning everyday spending is getting more expensive just as household budgets are already under pressure.
Economic inactivity rate
The share of people in a stated age group who are neither working nor classed as unemployed.
What it means
Someone is economically inactive in labour-market statistics when they are not in work and do not meet the test for unemployment, often because they are not looking for work or cannot start soon. This can include people who are studying, caring for someone, retired early or unable to work because of illness. Some still want a job. The headline UK inactivity rate divides the number of inactive people aged 16 to 64 by everyone in that age group; it is not a judgement about someone's value or effort.
Example
In a made-up group of 100 people aged 16 to 64, 20 are neither in work nor classed as unemployed. The economic inactivity rate is 20%. It does not tell you why any one of those 20 is outside the labour force.
Why it matters
Focusing only on unemployment misses people who are not working but are not counted as unemployed.
Also known as
inactivity rate
Related terms
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Claimant count
The number of people claiming specified benefits linked to looking for work.
Read more -
Employment rate
The share of people in a stated age group who are in work.
Read more -
Labour force participation rate
The share of people in a stated age group who are either working or classed as unemployed.
Read more -
Underemployment
When someone has work but would like and is available for more paid hours.
Read more -
Unemployment rate
The share of people in the labour force who have no job, are looking for one and are available to start.
Read more
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News
Highlights from about the UK economy, the UK government and the UK public sector.
Mortgage relief will have to wait a little longer
Wednesday 4 November 2026
Interest rates are staying at 3.75%, so households with mortgages and other borrowing may have to wait longer for costs to come down.
Energy bills are going up as winter approaches
Wednesday 4 November 2026
A higher energy price cap means many households will be paying more to heat and power their homes during the colder months.
Guides and insights
Analysis
Clear, accessible analysis of the economic issues shaping everyday life
Living standards
What does a day’s work buy?
Comparing the cost of everyday life across generations, from bread and beer to buying a home.
Food & prices
The journey behind your grocery bill
How farming, energy, transport and supermarket competition shape the price on the shelf.
Prices & inflation
Inflation is falling. What happens next?
What slower price rises mean for wages, purchasing power and economic recovery.
Shared prosperity
What would shared prosperity look like?
Beyond GDP: how we could measure economic success through security, opportunity and living standards.
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