Spain reached a new historical record of inactive population during the second quarter of 2026, with 17.35 million people aged 16 or older who are neither employed nor actively seeking a job, according to the latest data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
The record became the highest in the entire statistical series, which began in 2002, and deepens a growing trend that has accelerated in recent years. In the second quarter of that year, Spain counted 15.77 million inactive people, about 1.58 million fewer than currently.
Pedro Sánchez, the socialist president of Spain
The increase is also significant when comparing the data with the beginning of the current Government led by Pedro Sánchez. Since then, the number of people classified as inactive has increased by approximately 7.26%, representing nearly 1.17 million additional people outside the economically active population.
The evolution shows a predominantly upward trend over the last decades, with the exception of the disruptions caused in 2020 by the pandemic. Since 2015, the number of inactive people has steadily grown to reach the maximum currently recorded.
However, the concept of inactive population used by the INE should not be confused exclusively with people who decided to stop looking for work. The category includes all individuals over 16 years old who are not classified as employed or as actively unemployed.
Within the group are students, retirees and early retirees, people engaged in household tasks, beneficiaries of certain pensions, individuals unable to work, and rentiers, among other sectors.
One of the main elements behind the growth recorded in recent years is precisely demographic aging and the increase in retirements. In 2019, there were 303,055 new retirement registrations, while in 2022 there were 327,788. The figure reached 367,987 during 2024 and climbed again to 375,277 in 2025.
Another negative statistic harvested during Sánchez's administration
During the first six months of 2026, another 184,171 new retirements were added, a movement that continues to expand the number of Spaniards who are statistically outside the active population.
Thus, Spain reaches under the Government of Sánchez the largest volume of inactive population since comparable records have existed.
