Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Portugal
Portugal: Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) was 4.11 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ILO definition) in Portugal, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Portugal stood at 4.11. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 40.4% on the previous year and down 54.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Portugal peaked at 10.54 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4.11, in 2025.
That places Portugal 34th out of 46 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Portugal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 9.47 | — |
| 2015 | 8.97 | -5.3% |
| 2016 | 8.22 | -8.5% |
| 2017 | 8.75 | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 7.11 | -18.7% |
| 2019 | 6.89 | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 6.26 | -9.1% |
| 2021 | 10.54 | +68.2% |
| 2022 | 6.76 | -35.8% |
| 2023 | 6.79 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 6.89 | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 4.11 | -40.4% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 4.11 is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.95, 83% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 4.11 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.55, 90% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 8.24 | 6.89 | 9.47 | 6 |
| 2020s | 6.89 | 4.11 | 10.54 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More work & labour data for Portugal
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0538 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.055 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0528 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1795 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 7,134 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,861 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 4,504 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 4,250 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 8,754 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Portugal?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) in Portugal was 4.11 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 10.54 in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.11 in 2025.
- How does Portugal rank for share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition)?
- Portugal ranks 34th out of 46 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector (current ilo definition) rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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.