Share of employment outside the formal sector in Republic of Moldova
Republic of Moldova: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 53.16 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Republic of Moldova, 2003–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Republic of Moldova recorded 53.16 for share of employment outside the formal sector in 2025.
The figure is up 8.2% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Republic of Moldova peaked at 58.25 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 31.01, in 2004.
That places Republic of Moldova 24th 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 23 years of available data.
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Republic of Moldova, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 33.26 | — |
| 2004 | 31.01 | -6.8% |
| 2005 | 31.95 | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 40.39 | +26.4% |
| 2007 | 42.58 | +5.4% |
| 2008 | 42.42 | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 46.15 | +8.8% |
| 2010 | 51.32 | +11.2% |
| 2011 | 51.16 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 53.61 | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 54.05 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 56.05 | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 57.34 | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 58.25 | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 57.39 | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 53.29 | -7.2% |
| 2019 | 51.33 | -3.7% |
| 2020 | 53.42 | +4.1% |
| 2021 | 54.18 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 53.08 | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 48.51 | -8.6% |
| 2024 | 49.12 | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 53.16 | +8.2% |
Republic of Moldova compared with similar countries
- Republic of Moldova's 53.16 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 46.77, 1.1× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Republic of Moldova's 53.16 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.51, 9.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.25 | 31.01 | 46.15 | 7 |
| 2010s | 54.38 | 51.16 | 58.25 | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.91 | 48.51 | 54.18 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Moldova
More work & labour data for Republic of Moldova
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 654.38 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 72.49 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 1,725 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 1.5 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.726 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 24,890 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 5,854 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 71.4 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) -0.868 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -0.4043 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Republic of Moldova?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector in Republic of Moldova was 53.16 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Republic of Moldova?
- The highest recorded value was 58.25 in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Republic of Moldova?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.01 in 2004.
- How does Republic of Moldova rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
- Republic of Moldova ranks 24th out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Republic of Moldova?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Republic of Moldova 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.