Employment outside: ICLS13) (15+) … previous ICLS13 15+ in Turkey
Turkey: Employment outside: ICLS13) (15+) … previous ICLS13 15+ was 8,344 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition) in Turkey, 2004–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo definition) in Turkey is 8,344, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo definition) in Turkey peaked at 10,023 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 8,190, in 2020.
That places Turkey 14th out of 44 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Employment outside: ICLS13) (15+) … previous ICLS13 15+ in Turkey, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 9,888 | — |
| 2005 | 9,703 | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 9,619 | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 9,438 | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 9,234 | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 9,265 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 9,691 | +4.6% |
| 2011 | 10,023 | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 9,510 | -5.1% |
| 2013 | 9,185 | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 9,013 | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 8,875 | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 9,038 | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 9,530 | +5.4% |
| 2018 | 9,567 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 9,652 | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 8,190 | -15.1% |
| 2021 | 8,345 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 8,227 | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 8,251 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 8,652 | +4.9% |
| 2025 | 8,344 | -3.6% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 8,344 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3,580, 2.3× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 8,344 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 532.38, 15.7× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9,525 | 9,234 | 9,888 | 6 |
| 2010s | 9,408 | 8,875 | 10,023 | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,335 | 8,190 | 8,652 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
More work & labour data for Turkey
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 31,966 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 54.63 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 38,497 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 8.78 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.51 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 95,928 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 41,171 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 49.84 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.6505 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo definition) in Turkey?
- Employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo definition) in Turkey was 8,344 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo definition) recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 10,023 in 2011.
- What is the lowest employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo definition) recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,190 in 2020.
- How does Turkey rank for employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo definition)?
- Turkey ranks 14th out of 44 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo definition) rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Turkey data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (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 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. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.