Share of employment outside the formal sector in Ecuador
Ecuador: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 57.32 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Ecuador, 2001–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of employment outside the formal sector in Ecuador is 57.32, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 19.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Ecuador peaked at 67.56 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 48.05, in 2015.
Ecuador ranks 19th of 81 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 67.56 | — |
| 2003 | 58.79 | -13.0% |
| 2004 | 59.35 | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 58.19 | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 57.99 | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 57.4 | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 55.44 | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 54.64 | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 52.11 | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 51.25 | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 49.39 | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 50.43 | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 48.17 | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 48.05 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 50.75 | +5.6% |
| 2017 | 51.36 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 52.25 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 53.35 | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 58.14 | +9.0% |
| 2022 | 57.38 | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 56.52 | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 57.81 | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 57.32 | -0.8% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 57.32 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 46.77, 1.2× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 57.32 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 46.78, 1.2× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 58.67 | 54.64 | 67.56 | 8 |
| 2010s | 50.71 | 48.05 | 53.35 | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.43 | 56.52 | 58.14 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More work & labour data for Ecuador
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.578 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.567 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.589 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.04 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.13 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 17,174 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,794 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 9,543 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 9,549 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 19,092 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Ecuador?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector in Ecuador was 57.32 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 67.56 in 2001.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.05 in 2015.
- How does Ecuador rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
- Ecuador ranks 19th out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ecuador 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.