Share of employment outside the formal sector in Italy
Italy: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 8.43 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Italy, 2007–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of employment outside the formal sector in Italy is 8.43, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 19.5% on the previous year and up 61.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Italy peaked at 10.48 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.84, in 2009.
That places Italy 53rd out of 81 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 2.06 | — |
| 2008 | 2.27 | +10.3% |
| 2009 | 1.84 | -18.8% |
| 2010 | 1.99 | +8.4% |
| 2011 | 4.12 | +106.5% |
| 2012 | 4.5 | +9.3% |
| 2013 | 4.8 | +6.8% |
| 2014 | 5.08 | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 5.21 | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 6.25 | +20.0% |
| 2017 | 5.6 | -10.4% |
| 2018 | 6.53 | +16.5% |
| 2019 | 8.17 | +25.1% |
| 2020 | 6.98 | -14.5% |
| 2021 | 10.34 | +48.1% |
| 2022 | 9.46 | -8.5% |
| 2023 | 9.53 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 10.48 | +9.9% |
| 2025 | 8.43 | -19.5% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 8.43 is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.33, 1.6× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Italy's 8.43 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.51, 1.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of employment outside the formal sector in Italy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +106.5% | 1.99 | 4.12 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.05 | 1.84 | 2.27 | 3 |
| 2010s | 5.23 | 1.99 | 8.17 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.2 | 6.98 | 10.48 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More work & labour data for Italy
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.6708 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6794 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.662 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.03 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.0094 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 44,671 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 10,422 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 17,512 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 17,865 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 35,377 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Italy?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector in Italy was 8.43 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 10.48 in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.84 in 2009.
- How does Italy rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
- Italy ranks 53rd out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 61.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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.