Informal employment rate in Panama
Panama: Informal employment rate was 55.73 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Informal employment rate in Panama, 2003–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for informal employment rate in Panama is 55.73, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it 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, 46.55, in 2011.
Panama ranks 30th of 81 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Informal employment rate in Panama, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 58.08 | — |
| 2008 | 51.01 | -12.2% |
| 2011 | 46.55 | -8.7% |
| 2012 | 46.97 | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 47.86 | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 48.02 | +0.3% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 54.55 | 51.01 | 58.08 | 2 |
| 2010s | 48.81 | 46.55 | 52.8 | 9 |
| 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 46.55 in 2011.
- How does Panama rank for informal employment rate?
- Panama ranks 30th out of 81 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 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 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.