The term of active population is used to know sociodemographic or economic data of a country. It is interesting to know it, since many indicators of the country depend on it.
The active population of a country refers to the number of people of working age who have a paid job or who aspire to obtain one. In Spain, the working age is from 16 years, reaching up to 67. People under 16 years or over 67 would not enter into the calculation of the active population.
We must be careful not to confuse the concept of the active population with that of people of working age. People of working age range between 16-67 years, and include the workforce. However, it also includes those with unpaid work and housewives who are not paid for their work.
On the other hand, the active population is divided into two groups: employed and unemployed. Employees are those 16-67 years old who have paid employment. The unemployed are the rest of the people who do not have a job either because they are looking for, or because they are people with unpaid work or housewives.
Activity rate
TheActivity rate is an indicator based on the active population that helps us to know the strength, in terms of work, economic growth or productivity of a country or region. It is recommended for a country that this rate is high, as it indicates that it develops professional activities and drives the aggregate production of a country and therefore its economy.
It is calculated through the activity rate formula:
Activity rate = Active population / Total population
The activity rate in a developing country tends to be around or above 55%. This rate tends to decrease when the growth rate of the population or territory exceeds that of the employed and unemployed.