Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Cyprus

Cyprus: Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) was 8.04 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
8.04
Change on year
up 5.8%
World rank
24th
of 46 countries
All-time high
16.7
in 2015
All-time low
7.39
in 2023
Years of data
12
2014–2025

Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Cyprus, 2014–2025

0510152014201920252014: 16.22015: 16.72016: 15.92017: 15.72018: 14.42019: 14.72020: 14.62021: 82022: 8.62023: 7.42024: 7.62025: 8

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Cyprus is 8.04, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of up 5.8% on the previous year and down 51.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Cyprus peaked at 16.7 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 7.39, in 2023.

That places Cyprus 24th out of 46 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.

Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Cyprus, year by year

Annual values for Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+) in Cyprus, 2014 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2014 16.16
2015 16.7 +3.3%
2016 15.94 -4.5%
2017 15.68 -1.7%
2018 14.38 -8.3%
2019 14.71 +2.3%
2020 14.6 -0.8%
2021 7.99 -45.3%
2022 8.61 +7.8%
2023 7.39 -14.2%
2024 7.6 +2.9%
2025 8.04 +5.8%

Cyprus compared with similar countries

  • Cyprus's 8.04 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.95, 1.6× the median. (32 countries reporting)
  • Cyprus's 8.04 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.55, 1.8× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 15.6 14.38 16.7 6
2020s 9.04 7.39 14.6 6

Countries ranked near Cyprus

  1. 21 Republic of Moldova 13.95 compare
  2. 22 Italy 8.43 compare
  3. 23 Latvia 8.16 compare
  4. 25 Austria 5.88 compare
  5. 26 Spain 5.79 compare
  6. 27 Luxembourg 5.54 compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More work & labour data for Cyprus

All data for Cyprus →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Cyprus?
Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Cyprus was 8.04 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in Cyprus?
The highest recorded value was 16.7 in 2015.
What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in Cyprus?
The lowest recorded value was 7.39 in 2023.
How does Cyprus rank for share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition)?
Cyprus ranks 24th out of 46 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) rising or falling in Cyprus?
Over the last ten years it is down 51.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Cyprus data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Cyprus. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-employment-outside-the-formal-sector-current-ilo-definition-icls19-15/cyprus/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
46 places, 456 data points, 2014–2025
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. This harmonized series for employment outside the formal sector is derived using the same set of criteria across countries to improve comparability. The criteria used are based on employment status, institutional sector, destination of production, bookkeeping, registration, social security contribution, places of work and size. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.