Informal employment in Italy
Italy: Informal employment was 2,071 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Informal employment in Italy, 2007–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, informal employment in Italy stood at 2,071.
That represents a change of down 23.4% on the previous year and up 141.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in Italy peaked at 2,704 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 699.94, in 2009.
Italy ranks 32nd of 81 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Informal employment in Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 726.95 | — |
| 2008 | 800.97 | +10.2% |
| 2009 | 699.94 | -12.6% |
| 2010 | 798.68 | +14.1% |
| 2011 | 956.2 | +19.7% |
| 2012 | 953.5 | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 783.69 | -17.8% |
| 2014 | 794.57 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 859.54 | +8.2% |
| 2016 | 1,091 | +26.9% |
| 2017 | 1,034 | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 1,164 | +12.6% |
| 2019 | 1,467 | +26.0% |
| 2020 | 1,261 | -14.1% |
| 2021 | 2,542 | +101.5% |
| 2022 | 2,285 | -10.1% |
| 2023 | 2,526 | +10.5% |
| 2024 | 2,704 | +7.0% |
| 2025 | 2,071 | -23.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 742.62 | 699.94 | 800.97 | 3 |
| 2010s | 990.29 | 783.69 | 1,467 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,231 | 1,261 | 2,704 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More work & labour data for Italy
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.6708 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6794 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.662 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.03 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.0094 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 44,671 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 10,422 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 17,512 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 17,865 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 35,377 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in Italy?
- Informal employment in Italy was 2,071 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 2,704 in 2024.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 699.94 in 2009.
- How does Italy rank for informal employment?
- Italy ranks 32nd out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 141.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Italy 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.