SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Panama
Panama: SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total was 55.73 in 2025. ▲ Rising
SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Panama, 2003–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total 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, sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Panama peaked at 58.69 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 46.55, in 2011.
That places Panama 31st out of 83 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Panama, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 58.08 | — |
| 2006 | 55.96 | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 54.08 | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 51.01 | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 52.36 | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 46.55 | -11.1% |
| 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% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 55.73 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.46, 12.5× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Panama's 55.73 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 55.18, 1.0× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 54.3 | 51.01 | 58.08 | 5 |
| 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 sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Panama?
- Sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Panama was 55.73 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 58.69 in 2024.
- What is the lowest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.55 in 2011.
- How does Panama rank for sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total?
- Panama ranks 31st out of 83 countries with data for 2025.
- Is sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total 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 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
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
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.