Share of employment outside the formal sector in Colombia
Colombia: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 46.78 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Colombia, 2007–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Colombia recorded 46.78 for share of employment outside the formal sector in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 18 years on record.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Colombia peaked at 64.82 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 46.78, in 2025.
Colombia ranks 29th of 81 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Colombia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 61.66 | — |
| 2008 | 62.53 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 64.82 | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 63.9 | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 63.21 | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 62.86 | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 60.99 | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 59.35 | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 59.29 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 58.56 | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 58.6 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 58.81 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 58.17 | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 59.85 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 49.02 | -18.1% |
| 2023 | 47.6 | -2.9% |
| 2024 | 47.26 | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 46.78 | -1.0% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 46.78 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 46.77, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 46.78 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 46.78, 1.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 63 | 61.66 | 64.82 | 3 |
| 2010s | 60.37 | 58.17 | 63.9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.1 | 46.78 | 59.85 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More work & labour data for Colombia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7218 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6981 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7453 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.81 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1417 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 48,629 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 6,104 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 23,624 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 23,456 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 47,081 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Colombia?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector in Colombia was 46.78 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 64.82 in 2009.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.78 in 2025.
- How does Colombia rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
- Colombia ranks 29th out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Colombia 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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CSV · JSON — 18 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 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.