SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total was 3.58 in 2025. ▼ Falling
SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Bulgaria, 2007–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Bulgaria stood at 3.58.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.7% on the previous year and down 47.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Bulgaria peaked at 12.67 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 3.48, in 2019.
That places Bulgaria 69th out of 83 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 10.88 | — |
| 2008 | 12.67 | +16.5% |
| 2009 | 9.71 | -23.4% |
| 2010 | 9.32 | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 7.84 | -15.9% |
| 2012 | 6.95 | -11.4% |
| 2013 | 8.35 | +20.1% |
| 2014 | 7.76 | -7.0% |
| 2015 | 6.86 | -11.7% |
| 2016 | 7.79 | +13.7% |
| 2017 | 3.91 | -49.9% |
| 2018 | 4.25 | +8.8% |
| 2019 | 3.48 | -18.3% |
| 2020 | 3.83 | +10.2% |
| 2021 | 6.45 | +68.4% |
| 2022 | 5.84 | -9.4% |
| 2023 | 6.3 | +7.9% |
| 2024 | 4.15 | -34.2% |
| 2025 | 3.58 | -13.7% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 3.58 is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.46, 80% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 3.58 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.49, 80% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.09 | 9.71 | 12.67 | 3 |
| 2010s | 6.65 | 3.48 | 9.32 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.03 | 3.58 | 6.45 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More work & labour data for Bulgaria
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7248 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.7055 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7441 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.5 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.5166 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 4,606 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 817.52 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 1,761 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 1,770 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 3,531 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Bulgaria?
- Sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Bulgaria was 3.58 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 12.67 in 2008.
- What is the lowest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.48 in 2019.
- How does Bulgaria rank for sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total?
- Bulgaria ranks 69th out of 83 countries with data for 2025.
- Is sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Data may differ from nationally reported figures and the Global SDG Indicators Database due to differences in sources and/or reference years. This indicator conveys the share of informal employment in total employment. Employment comprises all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were either in paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work) or in self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). 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. 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 Market-related SDG Indicators (ILOSDG) database description.