Informal employment in Portugal
Portugal: Informal employment was 5.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Informal employment in Portugal, 2014–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total non-agricultural employment.
Analysis
The most recent figure for informal employment in Portugal is 5.2%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% on the previous year and down 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in Portugal peaked at 8.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 2019.
That places Portugal 29th out of 45 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Informal employment in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of total non-agricultural employment | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 5.7% | — |
| 2015 | 5.5% | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 4.8% | -12.2% |
| 2017 | 5.4% | +11.6% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | -26.8% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | -7.2% |
| 2020 | 3.9% | +7.6% |
| 2021 | 8.9% | +128.0% |
| 2022 | 5.0% | -43.9% |
| 2023 | 5.0% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 5.2% | +2.6% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 5.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.7%, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 5.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.7%, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.8% | 3.6% | 5.7% | 6 |
| 2020s | 5.6% | 3.9% | 8.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More work & labour data for Portugal
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0538 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.055 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0528 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1795 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 7,134 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,861 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 4,504 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 4,250 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 8,754 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in Portugal?
- Informal employment in Portugal was 5.2% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 8.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 2019.
- How does Portugal rank for informal employment?
- Portugal ranks 29th out of 45 countries with data for 2024.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Informal employment (% of total non-agricultural employment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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).