Informal employment in Northern Europe

Northern Europe: Informal employment was 2,716 in 2027. ▲ Rising

Latest (2027)
2,716
Change on year
down 0.9%
Rank
83rd
of 87 groups
All-time high
3,387
in 2017
All-time low
1,738
in 2011
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Informal employment in Northern Europe, 2004–2027

01.0k2.0k3.0k2004201520272004: 1.8k2005: 1.8k2006: 1.8k2007: 1.8k2008: 1.8k2009: 1.8k2010: 1.9k2011: 1.7k2012: 2.3k2013: 2.0k2014: 2.0k2015: 2.0k2016: 1.8k2017: 3.4k2018: 2.6k2019: 2.6k2020: 2.5k2021: 2.5k2022: 2.7k2023: 2.7k2024: 2.8k2025: 2.8k2026: 2.7k2027: 2.7k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for informal employment in Northern Europe is 2,716, measured in 2027.

The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 19.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, informal employment in Northern Europe peaked at 3,387 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1,738, in 2011.

That places Northern Europe 83rd out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Informal employment in Northern Europe, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates) in Northern Europe, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 1,751 —
2005 1,776 +1.4%
2006 1,795 +1.0%
2007 1,811 +0.9%
2008 1,815 +0.2%
2009 1,818 +0.2%
2010 1,893 +4.2%
2011 1,738 -8.2%
2012 2,265 +30.3%
2013 2,004 -11.5%
2014 1,996 -0.4%
2015 2,043 +2.3%
2016 1,799 -11.9%
2017 3,387 +88.3%
2018 2,581 -23.8%
2019 2,631 +1.9%
2020 2,471 -6.1%
2021 2,454 -0.7%
2022 2,748 +11.9%
2023 2,742 -0.2%
2024 2,755 +0.5%
2025 2,762 +0.3%
2026 2,741 -0.8%
2027 2,716 -0.9%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Informal employment in Northern Europe changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2017 +88.3% 1,799 3,387
2012 +30.3% 1,738 2,265

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1,794 1,751 1,818 6
2010s 2,234 1,738 3,387 10
2020s 2,674 2,454 2,762 8

More work & labour data for Northern Europe

All data for Northern Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment in Northern Europe?
Informal employment in Northern Europe was 2,716 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest informal employment recorded in Northern Europe?
The highest recorded value was 3,387 in 2017.
What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Northern Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 1,738 in 2011.
How does Northern Europe rank for informal employment?
Northern Europe ranks 83rd out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is informal employment rising or falling in Northern Europe?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Northern Europe 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 Northern Europe. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-ilo-modelled-estimates/northern-europe/

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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.