Informal employment rate in Panama
Panama: Informal employment rate was 55.73 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Informal employment rate in Panama, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, informal employment rate in Panama stood at 55.73.
The figure is down 5.0% on the previous year and up 16.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment rate in Panama peaked at 58.69 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 47.85, in 2015.
That places Panama 8th out of 47 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Informal employment rate in Panama, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 48.02 | — |
| 2015 | 47.85 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 48.52 | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 49.4 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 51.36 | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 52.8 | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 56.14 | +6.3% |
| 2021 | 55.67 | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 56.13 | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 58.69 | +4.6% |
| 2025 | 55.73 | -5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 49.66 | 47.85 | 52.8 | 6 |
| 2020s | 56.47 | 55.67 | 58.69 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More work & labour data for Panama
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.192 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1956 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1888 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.09 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 4,652 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,175 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,950 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,955 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,905 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment rate in Panama?
- Informal employment rate in Panama was 55.73 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment rate recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 58.69 in 2024.
- What is the lowest informal employment rate recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.85 in 2015.
- How does Panama rank for informal employment rate?
- Panama ranks 8th out of 47 countries with data for 2025.
- Is informal employment rate rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Informal employment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
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 includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. 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. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.