Employment outside the formal sector in Italy
Italy: Employment outside the formal sector was 2,091 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment outside the formal sector in Italy, 2007–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, employment outside the formal sector in Italy stood at 2,091.
That represents a change of down 19.3% on the previous year and up 78.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment outside the formal sector in Italy peaked at 2,590 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 406.13, in 2009.
That places Italy 31st out of 81 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Employment outside the formal sector in Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 457.53 | — |
| 2008 | 512.16 | +11.9% |
| 2009 | 406.13 | -20.7% |
| 2010 | 444.05 | +9.3% |
| 2011 | 923.1 | +107.9% |
| 2012 | 997.85 | +8.1% |
| 2013 | 1,071 | +7.3% |
| 2014 | 1,134 | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 1,170 | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 1,407 | +20.3% |
| 2017 | 1,290 | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 1,556 | +20.6% |
| 2019 | 1,983 | +27.4% |
| 2020 | 1,615 | -18.5% |
| 2021 | 2,452 | +51.8% |
| 2022 | 2,262 | -7.7% |
| 2023 | 2,349 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | 2,590 | +10.3% |
| 2025 | 2,091 | -19.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 458.61 | 406.13 | 512.16 | 3 |
| 2010s | 1,198 | 444.05 | 1,983 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,227 | 1,615 | 2,590 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More work & labour data for Italy
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.6708 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6794 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.662 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.03 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.0094 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 44,671 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 10,422 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 17,512 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 17,865 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 35,377 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment outside the formal sector in Italy?
- Employment outside the formal sector in Italy was 2,091 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment outside the formal sector recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 2,590 in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment outside the formal sector recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 406.13 in 2009.
- How does Italy rank for employment outside the formal sector?
- Italy ranks 31st out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 78.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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.