Informal employment in Western Europe
Western Europe: Informal employment was 2,284 in 2027. ▼ Falling
Informal employment in Western Europe, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Western Europe recorded 2,284 for informal employment in 2027.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in Western Europe peaked at 4,539 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2,265, in 2021.
Western Europe ranks 84th 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 in Western Europe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 3,774 | — |
| 2005 | 3,780 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 3,854 | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 3,902 | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 3,927 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 4,067 | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 4,539 | +11.6% |
| 2011 | 4,119 | -9.3% |
| 2012 | 4,315 | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 3,958 | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 3,758 | -5.1% |
| 2015 | 3,710 | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 3,403 | -8.3% |
| 2017 | 3,655 | +7.4% |
| 2018 | 3,617 | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 3,538 | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 3,281 | -7.3% |
| 2021 | 2,265 | -31.0% |
| 2022 | 2,517 | +11.1% |
| 2023 | 2,444 | -2.9% |
| 2024 | 2,435 | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 2,424 | -0.4% |
| 2026 | 2,357 | -2.8% |
| 2027 | 2,284 | -3.1% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Informal employment in Western 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -31.0% | 3,281 | 2,265 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3,884 | 3,774 | 4,067 | 6 |
| 2010s | 3,861 | 3,403 | 4,539 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,501 | 2,265 | 3,281 | 8 |
More work & labour data for Western Europe
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 91,861 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0615 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0749 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0476 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.77 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1881 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 173,621 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 185,317 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 93,457 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 25,875 1000 No (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in Western Europe?
- Informal employment in Western Europe was 2,284 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in Western Europe?
- The highest recorded value was 4,539 in 2010.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Western Europe?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,265 in 2021.
- How does Western Europe rank for informal employment?
- Western Europe ranks 84th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in Western Europe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Western 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.
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.