Economic activity rate
In the April 2023 to March 2024 period, among those aged 16 to 64 (a proxy for working age):
- The North East economic activity rate was 74.8%
- the rate was about four percentage points (pp) below that of England excluding London, but the gap had narrowed in the latest year
- the latest North East rate was 1.0 pp higher than a year earlier but lower than in each of the six years from April 2015 to March 2021
- the rate was the fourth lowest among the nine combined authority areas in the north and midlands
- at local authority level, County Durham had the highest rate, with South Tyneside having the lowest
- at constituency level, the highest North East rate was in City of Durham with the lowest in South Shields.