Share of workers in informal employment in Sweden
Sweden: Share of workers in informal employment was 2.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in informal employment in Sweden, 2007–2024
Source: International Labour Organization – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 2.8% for share of workers in informal employment in 2024.
The figure is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in informal employment in Sweden peaked at 4.4% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2021.
That places Sweden 62nd out of 82 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 3.5% | — |
| 2008 | 4.1% | +19.0% |
| 2009 | 3.5% | -16.0% |
| 2010 | 4.4% | +27.4% |
| 2011 | 3.9% | -11.5% |
| 2012 | 3.3% | -15.3% |
| 2013 | 3.1% | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 3.9% | +20.2% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | -16.8% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | +8.4% |
| 2018 | 2.8% | -19.5% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | +17.9% |
| 2020 | 2.8% | -14.5% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | -9.6% |
| 2022 | 3.3% | +28.2% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | -10.1% |
| 2024 | 2.8% | -3.7% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 2.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.4%, 1.2× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 2.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.8%, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.5% | 4.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 3.5% | 2.8% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 2.5% | 3.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More work & labour data for Sweden
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0422 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0602 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0243 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5427 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 10,837 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 788.88 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5,587 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,780 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 11,367 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of workers in informal employment in Sweden?
- Share of workers in informal employment in Sweden was 2.8% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of workers in informal employment recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2021.
- How does Sweden rank for share of workers in informal employment?
- Sweden ranks 62nd out of 82 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of workers in informal employment rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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.