2.9 million people between fifty and pension age are neither working nor retired

In 2025, 2.9 million people aged fifty to state pension age were not in employment, education, training or retirement. That is 21 per cent of the age group. Fifty-five per cent of them, 1.6 million, have a long-term illness or disability. Seventeen per cent are caring. Eleven per cent are unemployed and searching. Nearly 925,000 were interested in or actively looking for work, the most since 2020. The number rose from 2.4 million to 3 million between 2018 and 2020 and has stayed there. 1.7 million are women and 1.2 million are men.

The figures are from NETER: a New Labour Market Measure, published on 7 September 2026 by the Centre for Ageing Better with the Learning and Work Institute, Age UK and Hospitality UK. They come from the report's executive summary and discussion, which draw on the Labour Force Survey.