Informal employment in Americas

Americas: Informal employment was 175,292 in 2027. ▲ Rising

Latest (2027)
175,292
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
30th
of 87 groups
All-time high
175,292
in 2027
All-time low
136,134
in 2004
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Informal employment in Americas, 2004–2027

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k2004201520272004: 136.1k2005: 138.8k2006: 140.5k2007: 141.1k2008: 142.3k2009: 143.6k2010: 145.3k2011: 147.0k2012: 150.1k2013: 150.4k2014: 151.1k2015: 153.8k2016: 154.3k2017: 158.4k2018: 161.7k2019: 163.9k2020: 148.3k2021: 161.4k2022: 167.4k2023: 168.9k2024: 170.6k2025: 172.5k2026: 174.0k2027: 175.3k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Americas recorded 175,292 for informal employment in 2027. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 10.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, informal employment in Americas peaked at 175,292 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 136,134, in 2004.

That places Americas 30th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Informal employment in Americas, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates) in Americas, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 136,134
2005 138,791 +2.0%
2006 140,530 +1.3%
2007 141,063 +0.4%
2008 142,329 +0.9%
2009 143,594 +0.9%
2010 145,253 +1.2%
2011 146,959 +1.2%
2012 150,059 +2.1%
2013 150,376 +0.2%
2014 151,141 +0.5%
2015 153,818 +1.8%
2016 154,304 +0.3%
2017 158,393 +2.6%
2018 161,658 +2.1%
2019 163,939 +1.4%
2020 148,255 -9.6%
2021 161,380 +8.9%
2022 167,432 +3.8%
2023 168,874 +0.9%
2024 170,643 +1.0%
2025 172,470 +1.1%
2026 174,000 +0.9%
2027 175,292 +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 140,407 136,134 143,594 6
2010s 153,590 145,253 163,939 10
2020s 167,293 148,255 175,292 8

More work & labour data for Americas

All data for Americas →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment in Americas?
Informal employment in Americas was 175,292 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest informal employment recorded in Americas?
The highest recorded value was 175,292 in 2027.
What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Americas?
The lowest recorded value was 136,134 in 2004.
How does Americas rank for informal employment?
Americas ranks 30th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is informal employment rising or falling in Americas?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Americas data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Informal employment in Americas. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-ilo-modelled-estimates/americas/

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About this data

Indicator
Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
87 places, 2,088 data points, 2004–2027
Last refreshed

Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. Informal employment comprises persons who in their main or secondary jobs were (a) own-account workers, employers and members of producers' cooperatives employed in their own informal sector enterprises; (b) own-account workers engaged in the production of goods exclusively for own final use by their household (e.g. subsistence farming); (c) contributing family workers, regardless of whether they work in formal or informal sector enterprises; or (d) employees holding informal jobs, whether employed by formal sector enterprises, informal sector enterprises, or as paid domestic workers by households. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.