Informal employment in Southern Europe

Southern Europe: Informal employment was 2,787 in 2027. ▼ Falling

Latest (2027)
2,787
Change on year
down 3.2%
Rank
82nd
of 87 groups
All-time high
3,901
in 2015
All-time low
2,787
in 2027
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Informal employment in Southern Europe, 2004–2027

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k2004201520272004: 3.6k2005: 3.6k2006: 3.7k2007: 3.7k2008: 3.7k2009: 3.5k2010: 3.6k2011: 3.8k2012: 3.7k2013: 3.7k2014: 3.8k2015: 3.9k2016: 3.9k2017: 3.8k2018: 3.8k2019: 3.7k2020: 3.2k2021: 3.7k2022: 3.2k2023: 3.0k2024: 3.0k2025: 3.0k2026: 2.9k2027: 2.8k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2027, informal employment in Southern Europe stood at 2,787. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

That represents a change of down 3.2% on the previous year and down 26.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, informal employment in Southern Europe peaked at 3,901 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2,787, in 2027.

That places Southern Europe 82nd out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Informal employment in Southern Europe, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates) in Southern Europe, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 3,637 —
2005 3,638 +0.0%
2006 3,663 +0.7%
2007 3,713 +1.4%
2008 3,742 +0.8%
2009 3,513 -6.1%
2010 3,592 +2.3%
2011 3,827 +6.5%
2012 3,719 -2.8%
2013 3,653 -1.8%
2014 3,819 +4.5%
2015 3,901 +2.1%
2016 3,878 -0.6%
2017 3,777 -2.6%
2018 3,789 +0.3%
2019 3,728 -1.6%
2020 3,242 -13.0%
2021 3,680 +13.5%
2022 3,198 -13.1%
2023 3,008 -6.0%
2024 3,033 +0.8%
2025 2,976 -1.9%
2026 2,879 -3.3%
2027 2,787 -3.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3,651 3,513 3,742 6
2010s 3,768 3,592 3,901 10
2020s 3,100 2,787 3,680 8

More work & labour data for Southern Europe

All data for Southern Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment in Southern Europe?
Informal employment in Southern Europe was 2,787 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest informal employment recorded in Southern Europe?
The highest recorded value was 3,901 in 2015.
What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Southern Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 2,787 in 2027.
How does Southern Europe rank for informal employment?
Southern Europe ranks 82nd out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is informal employment rising or falling in Southern Europe?
Over the last ten years it is down 26.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Southern 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 Southern Europe. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-ilo-modelled-estimates/southern-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.