Informal employment rate in Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean: Informal employment rate was 51.09 in 2027. ▬ Flat

Latest (2027)
51.09
Change on year
down 0.1%
Rank
43rd
of 87 groups
All-time high
55.23
in 2004
All-time low
51.06
in 2014
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Informal employment rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2004–2027

02040602004201520272004: 55.22005: 54.72006: 53.82007: 52.92008: 52.42009: 52.52010: 52.32011: 52.12012: 52.12013: 51.52014: 51.12015: 51.42016: 51.42017: 52.12018: 52.42019: 52.42020: 51.52021: 52.92022: 52.22023: 51.72024: 51.42025: 51.22026: 51.22027: 51.1

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Latin America and the Caribbean recorded 51.09 for informal employment rate in 2027.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, informal employment rate in Latin America and the Caribbean peaked at 55.23 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 51.06, in 2014.

That places Latin America and the Caribbean 43rd out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the middle of the range.

Informal employment rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment rate (ILO modelled estimates) in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 55.23 —
2005 54.68 -1.0%
2006 53.78 -1.6%
2007 52.9 -1.6%
2008 52.36 -1.0%
2009 52.51 +0.3%
2010 52.33 -0.3%
2011 52.12 -0.4%
2012 52.08 -0.1%
2013 51.53 -1.1%
2014 51.06 -0.9%
2015 51.38 +0.6%
2016 51.39 +0.0%
2017 52.14 +1.5%
2018 52.42 +0.5%
2019 52.42 -0.0%
2020 51.47 -1.8%
2021 52.9 +2.8%
2022 52.21 -1.3%
2023 51.69 -1.0%
2024 51.35 -0.7%
2025 51.21 -0.3%
2026 51.16 -0.1%
2027 51.09 -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 53.58 52.36 55.23 6
2010s 51.89 51.06 52.42 10
2020s 51.64 51.09 52.9 8

More work & labour data for Latin America and the Caribbean

All data for Latin America and the Caribbean →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment rate in Latin America and the Caribbean?
Informal employment rate in Latin America and the Caribbean was 51.09 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest informal employment rate recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean?
The highest recorded value was 55.23 in 2004.
What is the lowest informal employment rate recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean?
The lowest recorded value was 51.06 in 2014.
How does Latin America and the Caribbean rank for informal employment rate?
Latin America and the Caribbean ranks 43rd out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is informal employment rate rising or falling in Latin America and the Caribbean?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Latin America and the Caribbean data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Informal employment rate (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Informal employment rate in Latin America and the Caribbean. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-rate-ilo-modelled-estimates/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/

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About this data

Indicator
Informal employment rate (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
87 places, 2,088 data points, 2004–2027
Last refreshed

Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. Informal employment comprises persons who in their main or secondary jobs were (a) own-account workers, employers and members of producers' cooperatives employed in their own informal sector enterprises; (b) own-account workers engaged in the production of goods exclusively for own final use by their household (e.g. subsistence farming); (c) contributing family workers, regardless of whether they work in formal or informal sector enterprises; or (d) employees holding informal jobs, whether employed by formal sector enterprises, informal sector enterprises, or as paid domestic workers by households. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.