Employment outside the formal sector in Thailand

Thailand: Employment outside the formal sector was 18,727 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
18,727
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
9th
of 81 countries
All-time high
22,121
in 2014
All-time low
16,740
in 2020
Years of data
10
2014–2024

Employment outside the formal sector in Thailand, 2014–2024

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k2014201920242014: 22.1k2015: 21.4k2016: 21.3k2017: 19.2k2018: 17.8k2020: 16.7k2021: 17.4k2022: 19.1k2023: 18.8k2024: 18.7k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for employment outside the formal sector in Thailand is 18,727, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 15.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employment outside the formal sector in Thailand peaked at 22,121 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 16,740, in 2020.

Thailand ranks 9th of 81 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.

Employment outside the formal sector in Thailand, year by year

Annual values for Employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Thailand, 2014 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2014 22,121
2015 21,412 -3.2%
2016 21,317 -0.4%
2017 19,155 -10.1%
2018 17,814 -7.0%
2020 16,740 -6.0%
2021 17,428 +4.1%
2022 19,143 +9.8%
2023 18,776 -1.9%
2024 18,727 -0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 20,364 17,814 22,121 5
2020s 18,163 16,740 19,143 5

Countries ranked near Thailand

  1. 6 Viet Nam 34,282 compare
  2. 7 Mexico 29,009 compare
  3. 8 Egypt 22,172 compare
  4. 10 Uganda 16,788 compare
  5. 11 Myanmar 14,990 compare
  6. 12 Russian Federation 14,123 compare

See the full ranking of 81 places →

More work & labour data for Thailand

All data for Thailand →

Frequently asked questions

What is employment outside the formal sector in Thailand?
Employment outside the formal sector in Thailand was 18,727 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest employment outside the formal sector recorded in Thailand?
The highest recorded value was 22,121 in 2014.
What is the lowest employment outside the formal sector recorded in Thailand?
The lowest recorded value was 16,740 in 2020.
How does Thailand rank for employment outside the formal sector?
Thailand ranks 9th out of 81 countries with data for 2024.
Is employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Thailand?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Thailand 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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Employment outside the formal sector in Thailand. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/employment-outside-the-formal-sector-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/thailand/

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About this data

Indicator
Employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
81 places, 1,202 data points, 1999–2026
Last refreshed

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.