Share of employment outside the formal sector in Serbia
Serbia: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 13.36 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Serbia, 2007–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, share of employment outside the formal sector in Serbia stood at 13.36.
That represents a change of down 15.4% on the previous year and up 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Serbia peaked at 19.5 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 9.78, in 2020.
Serbia ranks 51st 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 Serbia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 19.5 | — |
| 2008 | 14.84 | -23.9% |
| 2009 | 13.78 | -7.2% |
| 2010 | 13.85 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 12.98 | -6.3% |
| 2012 | 11.07 | -14.7% |
| 2013 | 12.71 | +14.8% |
| 2014 | 13.6 | +7.1% |
| 2015 | 11.03 | -18.9% |
| 2016 | 12.36 | +12.1% |
| 2017 | 11.9 | -3.7% |
| 2018 | 10.67 | -10.4% |
| 2019 | 10.68 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 9.78 | -8.5% |
| 2021 | 16.06 | +64.3% |
| 2022 | 14.23 | -11.4% |
| 2023 | 15.32 | +7.7% |
| 2024 | 15.78 | +3.0% |
| 2025 | 13.36 | -15.4% |
Serbia compared with similar countries
- Serbia's 13.36 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 46.77, 29% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Serbia's 13.36 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.51, 2.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.04 | 13.78 | 19.5 | 3 |
| 2010s | 12.08 | 10.67 | 13.85 | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.09 | 9.78 | 16.06 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Serbia
More work & labour data for Serbia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7737 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.7205 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.8268 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.14 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1128 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 5,121 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 2,326 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 1,850 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 1,852 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 3,702 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Serbia?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector in Serbia was 13.36 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Serbia?
- The highest recorded value was 19.5 in 2007.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Serbia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.78 in 2020.
- How does Serbia rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
- Serbia ranks 51st out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Serbia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Serbia 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.