Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Republic of Moldova
Republic of Moldova: Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) was 13.95 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Republic of Moldova, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Republic of Moldova stood at 13.95. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.1% on the previous year and down 26.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Republic of Moldova peaked at 20.15 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 13.95, in 2025.
Republic of Moldova ranks 21st of 46 countries on this measure, 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 Republic of Moldova, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 18.74 | — |
| 2015 | 18.95 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 20.15 | +6.4% |
| 2017 | 18.85 | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 19.5 | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 17.13 | -12.1% |
| 2020 | 16.68 | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 17.1 | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 16.69 | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 16.65 | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 15.18 | -8.8% |
| 2025 | 13.95 | -8.1% |
Republic of Moldova compared with similar countries
- Republic of Moldova's 13.95 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 32.87, 42% of the median. (10 countries reporting)
- Republic of Moldova's 13.95 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.55, 3.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 18.89 | 17.13 | 20.15 | 6 |
| 2020s | 16.04 | 13.95 | 17.1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Moldova
More work & labour data for Republic of Moldova
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 654.38 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 72.49 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 1,725 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 1.5 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.726 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 24,890 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 5,854 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 71.4 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) -0.868 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -0.4043 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Republic of Moldova?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Republic of Moldova was 13.95 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in Republic of Moldova?
- The highest recorded value was 20.15 in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in Republic of Moldova?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.95 in 2025.
- How does Republic of Moldova rank for share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition)?
- Republic of Moldova ranks 21st out of 46 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) rising or falling in Republic of Moldova?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Republic of Moldova 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.