Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates) in European Union 28

European Union 28: Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates) was 8,441 in 2027. ▼ Falling

Latest (2027)
8,441
Change on year
down 2.5%
Rank
70th
of 87 groups
All-time high
11,878
in 2017
All-time low
8,441
in 2027
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Informal employment in European Union 28, 2004–2027

02.5k5.0k7.5k10.0k12.5k2004201520272004: 10.5k2005: 10.7k2006: 10.9k2007: 11.2k2008: 10.8k2009: 10.8k2010: 11.4k2011: 11.1k2012: 11.7k2013: 11.0k2014: 11.1k2015: 11.0k2016: 10.3k2017: 11.9k2018: 11.0k2019: 10.6k2020: 9.9k2021: 9.4k2022: 9.4k2023: 8.8k2024: 8.9k2025: 8.9k2026: 8.7k2027: 8.4k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

European Union 28 recorded 8,441 for informal employment in 2027. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 28.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, informal employment in European Union 28 peaked at 11,878 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 8,441, in 2027.

European Union 28 ranks 70th of 87 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates) in European Union 28, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates) in European Union 28, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 10,517 —
2005 10,657 +1.3%
2006 10,911 +2.4%
2007 11,150 +2.2%
2008 10,791 -3.2%
2009 10,817 +0.2%
2010 11,362 +5.0%
2011 11,120 -2.1%
2012 11,743 +5.6%
2013 11,024 -6.1%
2014 11,080 +0.5%
2015 11,046 -0.3%
2016 10,334 -6.4%
2017 11,878 +14.9%
2018 11,005 -7.3%
2019 10,587 -3.8%
2020 9,856 -6.9%
2021 9,432 -4.3%
2022 9,398 -0.4%
2023 8,795 -6.4%
2024 8,925 +1.5%
2025 8,893 -0.4%
2026 8,661 -2.6%
2027 8,441 -2.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 10,807 10,517 11,150 6
2010s 11,118 10,334 11,878 10
2020s 9,050 8,441 9,856 8

More work & labour data for European Union 28

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Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment in European Union 28?
Informal employment in European Union 28 was 8,441 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest informal employment recorded in European Union 28?
The highest recorded value was 11,878 in 2017.
What is the lowest informal employment recorded in European Union 28?
The lowest recorded value was 8,441 in 2027.
How does European Union 28 rank for informal employment?
European Union 28 ranks 70th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is informal employment rising or falling in European Union 28?
Over the last ten years it is down 28.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this European Union 28 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 European Union 28. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 10 October 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-ilo-modelled-estimates/european-union-28-2/

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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.