Share of employment outside the formal sector in Poland
Poland: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 6.29 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Poland, 2007–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Poland recorded 6.29 for share of employment outside the formal sector in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.4% on the previous year and down 35.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Poland peaked at 10.46 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 6.15, in 2023.
Poland ranks 57th of 81 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Poland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 8.59 | — |
| 2008 | 8.29 | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 10.02 | +20.9% |
| 2010 | 10.22 | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 10.46 | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 10.15 | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 10.15 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 10.26 | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 9.82 | -4.3% |
| 2016 | 10.29 | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 9.56 | -7.1% |
| 2018 | 8.91 | -6.8% |
| 2019 | 8.23 | -7.6% |
| 2020 | 8.79 | +6.7% |
| 2021 | 9.2 | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 8.23 | -10.5% |
| 2023 | 6.15 | -25.3% |
| 2024 | 7.7 | +25.3% |
| 2025 | 6.29 | -18.4% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 6.29 is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.33, 1.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Poland's 6.29 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.51, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.97 | 8.29 | 10.02 | 3 |
| 2010s | 9.81 | 8.23 | 10.46 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.73 | 6.15 | 9.2 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More work & labour data for Poland
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.04 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.0452 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 22,799 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 9,591 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 9,786 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 9,544 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 19,330 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Poland?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector in Poland was 6.29 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 10.46 in 2011.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.15 in 2023.
- How does Poland rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
- Poland ranks 57th out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Poland 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.