Informal employment in South America
South America: Informal employment was 98,623 in 2027. ▲ Rising
Informal employment in South America, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2027, informal employment in South America stood at 98,623. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in South America peaked at 98,623 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 77,961, in 2004.
That places South America 36th 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 South America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 77,961 | — |
| 2005 | 79,725 | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 81,093 | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 81,684 | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 82,960 | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 83,786 | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 84,333 | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 84,770 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 85,516 | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 85,518 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 86,103 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 87,068 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 86,772 | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 89,335 | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 91,296 | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 92,617 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 82,436 | -11.0% |
| 2021 | 90,264 | +9.5% |
| 2022 | 94,473 | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 94,744 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 95,993 | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 96,882 | +0.9% |
| 2026 | 97,888 | +1.0% |
| 2027 | 98,623 | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 81,202 | 77,961 | 83,786 | 6 |
| 2010s | 87,333 | 84,333 | 92,617 | 10 |
| 2020s | 93,913 | 82,436 | 98,623 | 8 |
More work & labour data for South America
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 379,097 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.3248 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.47 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.6731 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6333 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.6536 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 190,649 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 49,401 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 450,619 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 188,449 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in South America?
- Informal employment in South America was 98,623 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in South America?
- The highest recorded value was 98,623 in 2027.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in South America?
- The lowest recorded value was 77,961 in 2004.
- How does South America rank for informal employment?
- South America ranks 36th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in South America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South America 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
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.