Employment outside the formal sector in Sweden
Sweden: Employment outside the formal sector was 148.16 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment outside the formal sector in Sweden, 2007–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 148.16 for employment outside the formal sector in 2025.
The figure is down 17.1% on the previous year and down 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment outside the formal sector in Sweden peaked at 204.44 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 135.4, in 2018.
That places Sweden 57th 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 Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 149.99 | — |
| 2008 | 169.71 | +13.1% |
| 2009 | 143.84 | -15.2% |
| 2010 | 185.1 | +28.7% |
| 2011 | 166.15 | -10.2% |
| 2012 | 159.07 | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 156.28 | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 156.1 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 180.03 | +15.3% |
| 2016 | 168.18 | -6.6% |
| 2017 | 163.46 | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 135.4 | -17.2% |
| 2019 | 168.55 | +24.5% |
| 2020 | 145.69 | -13.6% |
| 2021 | 142.14 | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 204.44 | +43.8% |
| 2023 | 184.88 | -9.6% |
| 2024 | 178.73 | -3.3% |
| 2025 | 148.16 | -17.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 154.51 | 143.84 | 169.71 | 3 |
| 2010s | 163.83 | 135.4 | 185.1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 167.34 | 142.14 | 204.44 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More work & labour data for Sweden
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0422 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0602 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0243 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5427 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 10,837 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 788.88 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5,587 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,780 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 11,367 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment outside the formal sector in Sweden?
- Employment outside the formal sector in Sweden was 148.16 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment outside the formal sector recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 204.44 in 2022.
- What is the lowest employment outside the formal sector recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 135.4 in 2018.
- How does Sweden rank for employment outside the formal sector?
- Sweden ranks 57th out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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.