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

El Salvador: Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) was 52.05 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
52.05
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
6th
of 46 countries
All-time high
59.84
in 2021
All-time low
52.05
in 2025
Years of data
6
2020–2025

Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in El Salvador, 2020–2025

02040602020202220252020: 57.72021: 59.82022: 58.12023: 56.42024: 53.42025: 52.1

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in El Salvador is 52.05, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 9.8% over ten years.

That places El Salvador 6th out of 46 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Annual values for Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+) in El Salvador, 2020 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2020 57.73
2021 59.84 +3.7%
2022 58.09 -2.9%
2023 56.44 -2.8%
2024 53.42 -5.3%
2025 52.05 -2.6%

El Salvador compared with similar countries

  • El Salvador's 52.05 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 32.87, 1.6× the median. (10 countries reporting)
  • El Salvador's 52.05 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 36.07, 1.4× the median. (7 countries reporting)

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 3 Zambia 60.75 compare
  2. 4 Viet Nam 59.18 compare
  3. 5 Zimbabwe 58.48 compare
  4. 7 Panama 45.01 compare
  5. 8 Botswana 40.42 compare
  6. 9 Jordan 39.02 compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More work & labour data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in El Salvador?
Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in El Salvador was 52.05 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 59.84 in 2021.
What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 52.05 in 2025.
How does El Salvador rank for share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition)?
El Salvador ranks 6th out of 46 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this El Salvador 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 El Salvador. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-employment-outside-the-formal-sector-current-ilo-definition-icls19-15/el-salvador/

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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.