Employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Spain
Spain: Employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 1,235 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Spain, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition - icls19) in Spain stood at 1,235.
The figure is down 2.7% on the previous year and down 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition - icls19) in Spain peaked at 1,612 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1,183, in 2023.
Spain ranks 12th of 46 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Spain, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1,531 | — |
| 2015 | 1,612 | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 1,361 | -15.6% |
| 2017 | 1,473 | +8.2% |
| 2018 | 1,208 | -18.0% |
| 2019 | 1,351 | +11.8% |
| 2020 | 1,193 | -11.7% |
| 2021 | 1,471 | +23.3% |
| 2022 | 1,325 | -9.9% |
| 2023 | 1,183 | -10.7% |
| 2024 | 1,270 | +7.3% |
| 2025 | 1,235 | -2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1,423 | 1,208 | 1,612 | 6 |
| 2020s | 1,280 | 1,183 | 1,471 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More work & labour data for Spain
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.527 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5576 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4982 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.05 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1207 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,073 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,322 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 17,076 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 16,051 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 33,128 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition - icls19) in Spain?
- Employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition - icls19) in Spain was 1,235 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 1,612 in 2015.
- What is the lowest employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,183 in 2023.
- How does Spain rank for employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- Spain ranks 12th out of 46 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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 includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. 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. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.