Share of workers in informal employment in Netherlands
Netherlands: Share of workers in informal employment was 2.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in informal employment in Netherlands, 2007–2024
Source: International Labour Organization – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of workers in informal employment in Netherlands is 2.6%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 6.5% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in informal employment in Netherlands peaked at 5.2% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2021.
Netherlands ranks 64th of 82 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Share of workers in informal employment in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 2.9% | — |
| 2008 | 3.4% | +16.7% |
| 2009 | 3.5% | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 5.2% | +49.1% |
| 2011 | 3.8% | -26.0% |
| 2012 | 4.1% | +7.8% |
| 2013 | 3.6% | -12.8% |
| 2014 | 2.9% | -19.1% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | +11.3% |
| 2016 | 2.8% | -13.8% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | +21.1% |
| 2018 | 3.5% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 2.9% | -15.5% |
| 2020 | 3.1% | +6.1% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | -21.5% |
| 2022 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 2.6% | +6.5% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 2.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.4%, 1.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 2.6% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.8%, 93% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.2% | 2.9% | 3.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 2.8% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 3.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More work & labour data for Netherlands
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 5,256 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.71 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 10,535 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.03 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.834 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 130,584 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 94,797 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.03 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.4 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.1112 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of workers in informal employment in Netherlands?
- Share of workers in informal employment in Netherlands was 2.6% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 5.2% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of workers in informal employment recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2021.
- How does Netherlands rank for share of workers in informal employment?
- Netherlands ranks 64th out of 82 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of workers in informal employment rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 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.