Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Southern Europe

Southern Europe: Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS was 4.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
4.6%
Change on year
down 1.9%
Rank
35th
of 36 groups
All-time high
6.8%
in 2015
All-time low
4.6%
in 2025
Years of data
22
2004–2025

Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Southern Europe, 2004–2025

02462004201420252004: 6.22005: 6.12006: 62007: 62008: 62009: 5.82010: 62011: 6.52012: 6.52013: 6.62014: 6.82015: 6.82016: 6.72017: 6.32018: 6.32019: 6.12020: 5.42021: 6.12022: 5.12023: 4.72024: 4.72025: 4.6

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

Southern Europe recorded 4.6% for proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and down 32.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls in Southern Europe peaked at 6.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 2025.

Southern Europe ranks 35th of 36 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.

Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Southern Europe, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS (%) in Southern Europe, 2004 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2004 6.2%
2005 6.1% -1.5%
2006 6.0% -1.5%
2007 6.0% -0.2%
2008 6.0% +0.0%
2009 5.8% -2.7%
2010 6.0% +4.1%
2011 6.5% +8.3%
2012 6.5% -0.2%
2013 6.6% +0.6%
2014 6.8% +3.7%
2015 6.8% +0.6%
2016 6.7% -2.6%
2017 6.3% -4.8%
2018 6.3% -1.3%
2019 6.1% -3.2%
2020 5.4% -11.0%
2021 6.1% +12.2%
2022 5.1% -15.7%
2023 4.7% -7.4%
2024 4.7% -0.2%
2025 4.6% -1.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 6.0% 5.8% 6.2% 6
2010s 6.5% 6.0% 6.8% 10
2020s 5.1% 4.6% 6.1% 6

Countries ranked near Southern Europe

  1. 32 Mexico 56.4% compare
  2. 33 Colombia 56.0% compare
  3. 34 Namibia 55.6% compare
  4. 35 Jordan 55.1% compare
  5. 36 Dominican Republic 54.7% compare
  6. 37 Jamaica 54.6% compare
  7. 38 Republic of Moldova 52.2% compare
  8. 38 Republic of Moldova 52.2% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More work & labour data for Southern Europe

All data for Southern Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls in Southern Europe?
Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls in Southern Europe was 4.6% in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls recorded in Southern Europe?
The highest recorded value was 6.8% in 2015.
What is the lowest proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls recorded in Southern Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 2025.
How does Southern Europe rank for proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls?
Southern Europe ranks 35th out of 36 groups with data for 2025.
Is proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls rising or falling in Southern Europe?
Over the last ten years it is down 32.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Southern Europe data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Southern Europe. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-informal-employment-by-sector-and-sex-13th-icls-percent/southern-europe/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-informal-employment-by-sector-and-sex-13th-icls-percent/southern-europe/">Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Southern Europe</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
128 places, 2,151 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed