Informal employment in Republic of Moldova
Republic of Moldova: Informal employment was 780.66 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Informal employment in Republic of Moldova, 2003–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, informal employment in Republic of Moldova stood at 780.66.
That represents a change of up 5.1% on the previous year and down 19.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in Republic of Moldova peaked at 1,093 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 527.84, in 2004.
That places Republic of Moldova 43rd out of 81 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Informal employment in Republic of Moldova, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 599.47 | — |
| 2004 | 527.84 | -11.9% |
| 2005 | 531.35 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 748.86 | +40.9% |
| 2007 | 794.54 | +6.1% |
| 2008 | 811.63 | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 880.82 | +8.5% |
| 2010 | 1,012 | +14.9% |
| 2011 | 1,036 | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 1,070 | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 1,093 | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 951.57 | -12.9% |
| 2015 | 974.83 | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 972.11 | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 913.33 | -6.0% |
| 2018 | 827.97 | -9.3% |
| 2019 | 811.67 | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 834.81 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 872.67 | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 856.11 | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 749.23 | -12.5% |
| 2024 | 742.66 | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 780.66 | +5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 699.21 | 527.84 | 880.82 | 7 |
| 2010s | 966.26 | 811.67 | 1,093 | 10 |
| 2020s | 806.02 | 742.66 | 872.67 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Moldova
More work & labour data for Republic of Moldova
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 654.38 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 72.49 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 1,725 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 71.4 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) -0.868 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -0.4043 % change on previous year (2027)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 72.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in Republic of Moldova?
- Informal employment in Republic of Moldova was 780.66 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in Republic of Moldova?
- The highest recorded value was 1,093 in 2013.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Republic of Moldova?
- The lowest recorded value was 527.84 in 2004.
- How does Republic of Moldova rank for informal employment?
- Republic of Moldova ranks 43rd out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in Republic of Moldova?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Republic of Moldova 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.