Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Netherlands
Netherlands: Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) was 4.55 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Netherlands, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Netherlands is 4.55, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 6.4% on the previous year and down 64.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Netherlands peaked at 14.12 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.37, in 2021.
Netherlands ranks 31st 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 Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 12.11 | — |
| 2015 | 12.83 | +6.0% |
| 2016 | 13.46 | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 13.55 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 13.93 | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 13.83 | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 14.12 | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 4.37 | -69.1% |
| 2022 | 4.5 | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 4.39 | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 4.87 | +10.7% |
| 2025 | 4.55 | -6.4% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 4.55 is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.95, 92% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 4.55 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.55, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 13.29 | 12.11 | 13.93 | 6 |
| 2020s | 6.13 | 4.37 | 14.12 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More work & labour data for Netherlands
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 5,256 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.71 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 10,535 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.03 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.834 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 130,584 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 94,797 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.03 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.4 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.1112 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Netherlands?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Netherlands was 4.55 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 14.12 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.37 in 2021.
- How does Netherlands rank for share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition)?
- Netherlands ranks 31st out of 46 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 64.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
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.