Employment outside the formal sector in Mexico
Mexico: Employment outside the formal sector was 29,009 in 2026. ▲ Rising
Employment outside the formal sector in Mexico, 2002–2026
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2026, employment outside the formal sector in Mexico stood at 29,009.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 26.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment outside the formal sector in Mexico peaked at 29,100 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 20,473, in 2008.
Mexico ranks 7th of 81 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Employment outside the formal sector in Mexico, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 22,119 | — |
| 2003 | 22,546 | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 22,703 | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 20,473 | -9.8% |
| 2009 | 21,281 | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 21,697 | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 21,908 | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 22,748 | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 22,815 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 22,465 | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 22,921 | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 22,920 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 23,227 | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 23,970 | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 24,677 | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 23,429 | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 26,313 | +12.3% |
| 2022 | 27,949 | +6.2% |
| 2023 | 28,393 | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 28,407 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 29,100 | +2.4% |
| 2026 | 29,009 | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 21,824 | 20,473 | 22,703 | 5 |
| 2010s | 22,935 | 21,697 | 24,677 | 10 |
| 2020s | 27,514 | 23,429 | 29,100 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More work & labour data for Mexico
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.5786 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5539 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.6038 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.41 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5363 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 144,910 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 19,369 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 65,616 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 64,633 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 130,249 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment outside the formal sector in Mexico?
- Employment outside the formal sector in Mexico was 29,009 in 2026, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment outside the formal sector recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 29,100 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment outside the formal sector recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 20,473 in 2008.
- How does Mexico rank for employment outside the formal sector?
- Mexico ranks 7th out of 81 countries with data for 2026.
- Is employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mexico 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.