Informal employment rate in Mexico
Mexico: Informal employment rate was 56.68 in 2026. ▼ Falling
Informal employment rate in Mexico, 2002–2026
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Mexico recorded 56.68 for informal employment rate in 2026.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment rate in Mexico peaked at 66.2 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 56.17, in 2020.
That places Mexico 28th out of 81 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Informal employment rate in Mexico, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 65.81 | — |
| 2003 | 66.2 | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 65.98 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 58.79 | -10.9% |
| 2009 | 60.13 | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 60.52 | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 60.31 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 60.34 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 59.69 | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 58.7 | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 58.72 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 58.09 | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 57.86 | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 57.62 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 57.61 | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 56.17 | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 57.75 | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 57.42 | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 57.04 | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 56.41 | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 56.88 | +0.8% |
| 2026 | 56.68 | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 63.38 | 58.79 | 66.2 | 5 |
| 2010s | 58.94 | 57.61 | 60.52 | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.91 | 56.17 | 57.75 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More work & labour data for Mexico
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.5786 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5539 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.6038 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.41 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5363 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 144,910 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 19,369 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 65,616 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 64,633 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 130,249 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment rate in Mexico?
- Informal employment rate in Mexico was 56.68 in 2026, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment rate recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 66.2 in 2003.
- What is the lowest informal employment rate recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.17 in 2020.
- How does Mexico rank for informal employment rate?
- Mexico ranks 28th out of 81 countries with data for 2026.
- Is informal employment rate rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mexico data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Informal employment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 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 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 economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.