Informal employment in Sweden
Sweden: Informal employment was 143.53 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Informal employment in Sweden, 2007–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, informal employment in Sweden stood at 143.53.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 15.8% on the previous year and down 18.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in Sweden peaked at 197.03 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 121.86, in 2018.
That places Sweden 59th out of 81 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Informal employment in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 159.19 | — |
| 2008 | 184.45 | +15.9% |
| 2009 | 153.65 | -16.7% |
| 2010 | 197.03 | +28.2% |
| 2011 | 168.2 | -14.6% |
| 2012 | 155.74 | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 141.02 | -9.5% |
| 2014 | 147.69 | +4.7% |
| 2015 | 175.87 | +19.1% |
| 2016 | 150.75 | -14.3% |
| 2017 | 158.03 | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 121.86 | -22.9% |
| 2019 | 151.81 | +24.6% |
| 2020 | 127.57 | -16.0% |
| 2021 | 136.67 | +7.1% |
| 2022 | 195.45 | +43.0% |
| 2023 | 179 | -8.4% |
| 2024 | 170.42 | -4.8% |
| 2025 | 143.53 | -15.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 165.76 | 153.65 | 184.45 | 3 |
| 2010s | 156.8 | 121.86 | 197.03 | 10 |
| 2020s | 158.77 | 127.57 | 195.45 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More work & labour data for Sweden
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0422 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0602 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0243 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5427 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 10,837 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 788.88 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5,587 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,780 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 11,367 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in Sweden?
- Informal employment in Sweden was 143.53 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 197.03 in 2010.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 121.86 in 2018.
- How does Sweden rank for informal employment?
- Sweden ranks 59th out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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.
Download this data
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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.