Ecuador vs South Africa: Employment outside the formal sector

Ecuador
4,774
in 2025
South Africa
5,255
in 2024
Ecuador rank
24th
South Africa rank
22nd

Employment outside the formal sector over time

  • Ecuador
  • South Africa
02.0k4.0k6.0k200020122025

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 5,255 against 4,774 in Ecuador, a difference of 481.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Ecuador's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 22 shared years of data; in 2001 it was Ecuador ahead.

Ecuador ranks 24th and South Africa ranks 22nd of 81 countries.

Across the 3 decades both report, Ecuador averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Ecuador South Africa Difference Ahead
2000s 3,423 2,700 722.25 Ecuador
2010s 3,575 4,498 923.12 South Africa
2020s 4,662 4,753 91.05 South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher employment outside the formal sector, Ecuador or South Africa?
South Africa, at 5,255 against 4,774 in Ecuador as of 2024.
What is the difference in employment outside the formal sector between Ecuador and South Africa?
481, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ecuador and South Africa?
22 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2024.
How do Ecuador and South Africa rank globally for employment outside the formal sector?
Ecuador ranks 24th and South Africa ranks 22nd of 81 countries.
Where does this data come from?
International Labour Organization, published as Employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Ecuador vs South Africa: Employment outside the formal sector. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/employment-outside-the-formal-sector-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/ecuador/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
81 places, 1,202 data points, 1999–2026
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. This harmonized series for employment outside the formal sector is derived using the same set of criteria across countries to improve comparability. The criteria used are based on employment status, institutional sector, destination of production, bookkeeping, registration, social security contribution, places of work and size. Data disaggregated by occupation are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). Data may have been regrouped from the national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISCO. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.