Share of workers in informal employment in Moldova
Moldova: Share of workers in informal employment was 52.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of workers in informal employment in Moldova, 2003–2024
Source: International Labour Organization – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of workers in informal employment in Moldova stood at 52.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in informal employment in Moldova peaked at 61.1% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 35.4%, in 2005.
Moldova ranks 35th of 82 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Share of workers in informal employment in Moldova, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 39.2% | — |
| 2004 | 35.5% | -9.4% |
| 2005 | 35.4% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 45.9% | +29.8% |
| 2007 | 47.4% | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 47.3% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 50.6% | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 55.5% | +9.6% |
| 2011 | 55.5% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 56.6% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 57.1% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 59.2% | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 60.6% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 61.1% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 59.9% | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 56.3% | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 54.6% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 56.4% | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 57.2% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 55.9% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 52.2% | -6.6% |
| 2024 | 52.2% | +0.0% |
Moldova compared with similar countries
- Moldova's 52.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 54.7%, 95% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Moldova's 52.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.8%, 18.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of workers in informal employment in Moldova changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +29.8% | 35.4% | 45.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 43.0% | 35.4% | 50.6% | 7 |
| 2010s | 57.6% | 54.6% | 61.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.8% | 52.2% | 57.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Moldova
More work & labour data for Moldova
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 654.38 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 72.49 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 1,725 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 1.5 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.726 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 24,890 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 5,854 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 71.4 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) -0.868 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -0.4043 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of workers in informal employment in Moldova?
- Share of workers in informal employment in Moldova was 52.2% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of workers in informal employment recorded in Moldova?
- The highest recorded value was 61.1% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of workers in informal employment recorded in Moldova?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.4% in 2005.
- How does Moldova rank for share of workers in informal employment?
- Moldova ranks 35th out of 82 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of workers in informal employment rising or falling in Moldova?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Moldova data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers in informal employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of employed people working in jobs that lack basic social or legal protection and employment benefits. Does not include illegal and illicit activities. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.