Employment outside the formal sector in Estonia
Estonia: Employment outside the formal sector was 29.93 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment outside the formal sector in Estonia, 2007–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, employment outside the formal sector in Estonia stood at 29.93.
The figure is down 14.4% on the previous year and up 55.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment outside the formal sector in Estonia peaked at 35.12 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 7.54, in 2009.
Estonia ranks 74th of 81 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Employment outside the formal sector in Estonia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 22.66 | — |
| 2008 | 12.15 | -46.4% |
| 2009 | 7.54 | -37.9% |
| 2010 | 10.81 | +43.3% |
| 2011 | 16.52 | +52.8% |
| 2012 | 15.61 | -5.5% |
| 2013 | 11.8 | -24.4% |
| 2014 | 17.39 | +47.4% |
| 2015 | 19.23 | +10.6% |
| 2016 | 18.11 | -5.8% |
| 2017 | 17.32 | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 8.31 | -52.0% |
| 2019 | 18.17 | +118.6% |
| 2020 | 18.92 | +4.1% |
| 2021 | 33.76 | +78.4% |
| 2022 | 35.12 | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 34.26 | -2.5% |
| 2024 | 34.96 | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 29.93 | -14.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.12 | 7.54 | 22.66 | 3 |
| 2010s | 15.33 | 8.31 | 19.23 | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.16 | 18.92 | 35.12 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Estonia
More work & labour data for Estonia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6763 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.6638 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.77 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1039 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 885.23 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 259.52 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 417.66 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 407.84 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 825.5 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment outside the formal sector in Estonia?
- Employment outside the formal sector in Estonia was 29.93 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment outside the formal sector recorded in Estonia?
- The highest recorded value was 35.12 in 2022.
- What is the lowest employment outside the formal sector recorded in Estonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.54 in 2009.
- How does Estonia rank for employment outside the formal sector?
- Estonia ranks 74th out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Estonia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 55.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Estonia data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). 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. 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.