Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Italy
Italy: Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) was 8.43 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Italy, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Italy is 8.43, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 19.5% on the previous year and up 61.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Italy peaked at 10.48 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.08, in 2014.
That places Italy 22nd out of 46 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 5.08 | — |
| 2015 | 5.21 | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 6.25 | +20.0% |
| 2017 | 5.6 | -10.4% |
| 2018 | 6.53 | +16.5% |
| 2019 | 8.17 | +25.1% |
| 2020 | 6.98 | -14.5% |
| 2021 | 10.34 | +48.1% |
| 2022 | 9.46 | -8.5% |
| 2023 | 9.53 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 10.48 | +9.9% |
| 2025 | 8.43 | -19.5% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 8.43 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.95, 1.7× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Italy's 8.43 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.55, 1.9× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6.14 | 5.08 | 8.17 | 6 |
| 2020s | 9.2 | 6.98 | 10.48 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More work & labour data for Italy
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.6708 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6794 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.662 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.03 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.0094 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 44,671 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 10,422 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 17,512 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 17,865 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 35,377 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Italy?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Italy was 8.43 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 10.48 in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.08 in 2014.
- How does Italy rank for share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition)?
- Italy ranks 22nd out of 46 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 61.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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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About this data
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.