Share of employment outside the formal sector in Thailand

Thailand: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 46.77 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
46.77
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
30th
of 81 countries
All-time high
57.58
in 2014
All-time low
44.14
in 2020
Years of data
10
2014–2024

Share of employment outside the formal sector in Thailand, 2014–2024

02040602014201920242014: 57.62015: 55.92016: 55.72017: 50.92018: 46.52020: 44.12021: 46.22022: 48.42023: 46.82024: 46.8

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of employment outside the formal sector in Thailand is 46.77, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 18.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Thailand peaked at 57.58 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 44.14, in 2020.

Thailand ranks 30th of 81 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.

Share of employment outside the formal sector in Thailand, year by year

Annual values for Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Thailand, 2014 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2014 57.58
2015 55.86 -3.0%
2016 55.71 -0.3%
2017 50.88 -8.7%
2018 46.51 -8.6%
2020 44.14 -5.1%
2021 46.22 +4.7%
2022 48.38 +4.7%
2023 46.83 -3.2%
2024 46.77 -0.1%

Thailand compared with similar countries

  • Thailand's 46.77 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 46.77, 100% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
  • Thailand's 46.77 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 51.39, 91% of the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 53.31 46.51 57.58 5
2020s 46.47 44.14 48.38 5

Countries ranked near Thailand

  1. 27 Mexico 47.78 compare
  2. 28 Botswana 47.46 compare
  3. 29 Colombia 46.78 compare
  4. 31 Panama 45.01 compare
  5. 32 Paraguay 44.67 compare
  6. 33 Grenada 42.88 compare

See the full ranking of 81 places →

More work & labour data for Thailand

All data for Thailand →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Thailand?
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Thailand was 46.77 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Thailand?
The highest recorded value was 57.58 in 2014.
What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Thailand?
The lowest recorded value was 44.14 in 2020.
How does Thailand rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
Thailand ranks 30th out of 81 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Thailand?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Thailand 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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Share of employment outside the formal sector in Thailand. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-employment-outside-the-formal-sector-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/thailand/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
81 places, 1,202 data points, 1999–2026
Last refreshed

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.