Informal employment, male in Estonia

Estonia: Informal employment, male was 7.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
7.2%
Change on year
down 12.1%
World rank
24th
of 45 countries
All-time high
11.8%
in 2021
All-time low
0.7%
in 2018
Years of data
11
2014–2024

Informal employment, male in Estonia, 2014–2024

02.557.51012.52014201920242014: 2.2 % of total male non-agricultural employment2015: 2.9 % of total male non-agricultural employment2016: 2.4 % of total male non-agricultural employment2017: 2.3 % of total male non-agricultural employment2018: 0.652 % of total male non-agricultural employment2019: 2.8 % of total male non-agricultural employment2020: 3.3 % of total male non-agricultural employment2021: 11.8 % of total male non-agricultural employment2022: 9.4 % of total male non-agricultural employment2023: 8.2 % of total male non-agricultural employment2024: 7.2 % of total male non-agricultural employment

Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total male non-agricultural employment.

Analysis

In 2024, informal employment, male in Estonia stood at 7.2%.

That represents a change of down 12.1% on the previous year and up 226.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, informal employment, male in Estonia peaked at 11.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2018.

That places Estonia 24th out of 45 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Informal employment, male in Estonia, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment, male (% of total male non-agricultural employment) in Estonia, 2014 to 2024.
Year % of total male non-agricultural employment Change
2014 2.2%
2015 2.9% +28.7%
2016 2.4% -17.1%
2017 2.3% -2.6%
2018 0.7% -71.7%
2019 2.8% +334.5%
2020 3.3% +16.4%
2021 11.8% +258.4%
2022 9.4% -20.8%
2023 8.2% -12.2%
2024 7.2% -12.1%

Estonia compared with similar countries

  • Estonia's 7.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.3%, 1.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
  • Estonia's 7.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.3%, 1.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 2.2% 0.7% 2.9% 6
2020s 8.0% 3.3% 11.8% 5

Countries ranked near Estonia

  1. 21 Latvia 10.3% compare
  2. 22 Hungary 9.4% compare
  3. 23 Serbia 8.3%
  4. 25 Denmark 7.0% compare
  5. 26 Luxembourg 7.0% compare
  6. 27 Netherlands 6.5% compare

See the full ranking of 45 places →

More work & labour data for Estonia

All data for Estonia →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment, male in Estonia?
Informal employment, male in Estonia was 7.2% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest informal employment, male recorded in Estonia?
The highest recorded value was 11.8% in 2021.
What is the lowest informal employment, male recorded in Estonia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2018.
How does Estonia rank for informal employment, male?
Estonia ranks 24th out of 45 countries with data for 2024.
Is informal employment, male rising or falling in Estonia?
Over the last ten years it is up 226.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Estonia data come from?
The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Informal employment, male (% of total male non-agricultural employment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Informal employment, male in Estonia. Statizoid, drawing on Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-male-percent-of-total-male-non-agricultural-employment/estonia/

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About this data

Indicator
Informal employment, male (% of total male non-agricultural employment)
Unit
% of total male non-agricultural employment
Source
Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
45 places, 426 data points, 2014–2025
Last refreshed

This indicator shows the share of workers at working age in informal employment in non-agricultural activities out of total employment in non-agricultural activities, expressed as a percentage. Informal employment comprises workers whose main or secondary jobs are informal. For own-account workers and employers, informality is determined by enterprise characteristics (unincorporated, market-based, and unregistered); for contributing family workers, it is determined by the absence of written contracts and lack of coverage under labor legislation; and for employees, it is determined by whether the employment relationship is not subject to national labor legislation, income taxation, or social protection. The data are based on the statistical standards adopted by the 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS).