Informal employment in Brazil
Brazil: Informal employment was 36,489 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Informal employment in Brazil, 2009–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for informal employment in Brazil is 36,489, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in Brazil peaked at 42,022 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 31,909, in 2020.
Brazil ranks 6th of 81 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Informal employment in Brazil, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 42,022 | — |
| 2011 | 38,840 | -7.6% |
| 2012 | 38,445 | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 38,090 | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 39,458 | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 37,670 | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 33,298 | -11.6% |
| 2017 | 34,567 | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 35,625 | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 36,629 | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 31,909 | -12.9% |
| 2021 | 34,903 | +9.4% |
| 2022 | 36,851 | +5.6% |
| 2023 | 36,769 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 37,275 | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 36,489 | -2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 42,022 | 42,022 | 42,022 | 1 |
| 2010s | 36,958 | 33,298 | 39,458 | 9 |
| 2020s | 35,699 | 31,909 | 37,275 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
More work & labour data for Brazil
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7328 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.7065 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7581 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.74 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1001 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 215,063 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 17,625 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 82,304 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 81,060 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 163,364 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in Brazil?
- Informal employment in Brazil was 36,489 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 42,022 in 2009.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 31,909 in 2020.
- How does Brazil rank for informal employment?
- Brazil ranks 6th out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Brazil data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Informal employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. This harmonized series for informal employment is derived using the same set of criteria across countries to improve comparability. The criteria used are based on employment status, institutional sector, destination of production, bookkeeping, registration, social security contribution, places of work and size. Data disaggregated by occupation are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). Data may have been regrouped from the national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISCO. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.