Share of employment outside the formal sector in Brazil
Brazil: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 34.57 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Brazil, 2009–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of employment outside the formal sector in Brazil is 34.57, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.
The figure is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Brazil peaked at 46.01 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 34.57, in 2025.
Brazil ranks 39th of 81 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Brazil, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 46.01 | — |
| 2011 | 37.43 | -18.7% |
| 2012 | 35.87 | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 34.83 | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 35.04 | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 35.14 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 36.2 | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 37.42 | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 37.86 | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 38.03 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 35.91 | -5.6% |
| 2021 | 37.52 | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 36.68 | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 36.02 | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 35.45 | -1.6% |
| 2025 | 34.57 | -2.5% |
Brazil compared with similar countries
- Brazil's 34.57 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 46.77, 74% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Brazil's 34.57 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 46.78, 74% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 46.01 | 46.01 | 46.01 | 1 |
| 2010s | 36.43 | 34.83 | 38.03 | 9 |
| 2020s | 36.03 | 34.57 | 37.52 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
- 36 Kyrgyzstan 38.88 compare
- 37 Guyana 38.43 compare
- 38 Costa Rica 36.07 compare
- 40 Uruguay 32.3 compare
- 41 Mongolia 31.62 compare
- 42 South Africa 30.68 compare
More work & labour data for Brazil
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7328 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.7065 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7581 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.74 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1001 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 215,063 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 17,625 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 82,304 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 81,060 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 163,364 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Brazil?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector in Brazil was 34.57 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 46.01 in 2009.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.57 in 2025.
- How does Brazil rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
- Brazil ranks 39th out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Brazil 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.