Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Norway
Norway: Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) was 2.02 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Norway, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Norway recorded 2.02 for share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in 2025.
That represents a change of up 5.7% on the previous year and down 62.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Norway peaked at 5.37 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1.91, in 2024.
Norway ranks 43rd of 46 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
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 Norway, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 5.02 | — |
| 2015 | 5.37 | +7.1% |
| 2016 | 4.62 | -14.1% |
| 2017 | 4.84 | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 5.13 | +5.9% |
| 2019 | 4.9 | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 4.12 | -15.9% |
| 2021 | 5.28 | +28.1% |
| 2022 | 5.14 | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 1.97 | -61.8% |
| 2024 | 1.91 | -2.7% |
| 2025 | 2.02 | +5.7% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 2.02 is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.95, 41% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Norway's 2.02 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.55, 44% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.98 | 4.62 | 5.37 | 6 |
| 2020s | 3.41 | 1.91 | 5.28 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More work & labour data for Norway
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.2322 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.2413 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.2229 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.14 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.7506 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6,138 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 663.52 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,690 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,724 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,414 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Norway?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Norway was 2.02 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 5.37 in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.91 in 2024.
- How does Norway rank for share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition)?
- Norway ranks 43rd out of 46 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 62.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Norway 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
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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.