Share of employment outside the formal sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 10.8 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2006–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, share of employment outside the formal sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina stood at 10.8.
That represents a change of down 21.8% on the previous year and down 60.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina peaked at 32.04 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 9.91, in 2020.
That places Bosnia and Herzegovina 52nd out of 81 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 31.58 | — |
| 2007 | 32.04 | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 31.62 | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 30.59 | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 29.25 | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 27.53 | -5.9% |
| 2012 | 30.38 | +10.4% |
| 2013 | 28.15 | -7.3% |
| 2014 | 25.73 | -8.6% |
| 2015 | 27.2 | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 27.93 | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 17.38 | -37.8% |
| 2018 | 14.97 | -13.9% |
| 2019 | 17.27 | +15.4% |
| 2020 | 9.91 | -42.6% |
| 2021 | 16.09 | +62.4% |
| 2022 | 15.92 | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 15.85 | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 13.81 | -12.9% |
| 2025 | 10.8 | -21.8% |
Bosnia and Herzegovina compared with similar countries
- Bosnia and Herzegovina's 10.8 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 46.77, 23% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina's 10.8 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.51, 2.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of employment outside the formal sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +62.4% | 9.91 | 16.09 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 31.46 | 30.59 | 32.04 | 4 |
| 2010s | 24.58 | 14.97 | 30.38 | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.73 | 9.91 | 16.09 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bosnia and Herzegovina
More work & labour data for Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1.02 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.04 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.13 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.2135 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 1,976 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,082 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 676.82 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 689.64 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 1,366 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina was 10.8 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- The highest recorded value was 32.04 in 2007.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.91 in 2020.
- How does Bosnia and Herzegovina rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
- Bosnia and Herzegovina ranks 52nd out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- Over the last ten years it is down 60.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bosnia and Herzegovina data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). 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 is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. 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. Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.