* indicates monthly or quarterly data series

Informal economy, DGE method, 2020:

The average for 2020 based on 156 countries was 28.16 percent. The highest value was in Zimbabwe: 60.4 percent and the lowest value was in Switzerland: 7.9 percent. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2020. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Measure: percent; Source: Informal economy database
Select indicator
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series


Countries Informal economy, DGE method, 2020 Global rank Available data
Zimbabwe 60.4 1 1990 - 2020
Georgia 58.2 2 1990 - 2020
Bolivia 54.9 3 1990 - 2020
Nigeria 54.9 4 1990 - 2020
Guatemala 46.1 5 1990 - 2020
Gabon 46 6 1990 - 2020
Ukraine 46 7 1990 - 2020
Thailand 45 8 1990 - 2020
C.A. Republic 44.8 9 1990 - 2020
St. Vincent & ... 44.2 10 1990 - 2020
Panama 44 11 1990 - 2020
G.-Bissau 43.5 12 1990 - 2020
Honduras 43.3 13 1990 - 2020
Tajikistan 43 14 1990 - 2020
Moldova 42.8 15 1990 - 2020
Peru 42.6 16 1990 - 2020
Benin 42.4 17 1990 - 2020
DR Congo 42.1 18 1990 - 2020
Comoros 41.1 19 1990 - 2020
El Salvador 40.7 20 1990 - 2020
Tanzania 40.7 21 1990 - 2020
Uruguay 40.6 22 1990 - 2020
Angola 40.4 23 1990 - 2020
Belize 40.4 24 1990 - 2020
Nicaragua 40.3 25 1990 - 2020
Gambia 40 26 1990 - 2020
Liberia 39.9 27 1990 - 2020
Swaziland 39.7 28 1990 - 2020
Zambia 39.6 29 1990 - 2020
Malawi 39.5 30 1990 - 2020
Azerbaijan 39.1 31 1990 - 2020
Russia 39.1 32 1990 - 2020
R. of Congo 38.4 33 1990 - 2020
Ivory Coast 37.7 34 1990 - 2020
Sierra Leone 37.6 35 1990 - 2020
Belarus 36.8 36 1990 - 2020
Burundi 36.5 37 1990 - 2020
Senegal 36.5 38 1990 - 2020
Chad 36.4 39 1990 - 2020
Saint Lucia 36 40 1990 - 2020
Madagascar 35.7 41 1990 - 2020
Niger 35.7 42 1990 - 2020
Ghana 35.5 43 1990 - 2020
Kazakhstan 35.5 44 1990 - 2020
Cambodia 35 45 1990 - 2020
Armenia 34 46 1990 - 2020
Paraguay 33.7 47 1990 - 2020
Brazil 33.4 48 1990 - 2020
Kyrgyzstan 33.2 49 1990 - 2020
Suriname 33 50 1990 - 2020
Sri Lanka 32.9 51 1990 - 2020
North Macedonia 32.7 52 1990 - 2020
Tunisia 32.7 53 1990 - 2020
Jamaica 32.4 54 1990 - 2020
Uganda 32.4 55 1990 - 2020
Philippines 32 56 1990 - 2020
Mali 31.7 57 1990 - 2020
Pakistan 31.6 58 1990 - 2020
Togo 31.3 59 1990 - 2020
Nepal 31.2 60 1990 - 2020
Burkina Faso 30.9 61 1990 - 2020
Mauritania 30.5 62 1990 - 2020
Guinea 30.4 63 1990 - 2020
Venezuela 30.4 64 1990 - 2020
Fiji 29.8 65 1990 - 2020
Lebanon 29.4 66 1990 - 2020
Albania 29.3 67 1990 - 2020
Egypt 29.3 68 1990 - 2020
Cape Verde 29 69 1990 - 2020
Colombia 28.7 70 1990 - 2020
Brunei 28.5 71 1990 - 2020
Bosnia & Herz. 28.4 72 1990 - 2020
Croatia 28.4 73 1990 - 2020
Cameroon 28.1 74 1990 - 2020
Sudan 28 75 1990 - 2020
Bulgaria 27.8 76 1990 - 2020
Morocco 27.8 77 1990 - 2020
Algeria 27.7 78 1990 - 2020
Ecuador 27.3 79 1990 - 2020
Lithuania 27.2 80 1990 - 2020
Mexico 27.2 81 1990 - 2020
Malaysia 26.8 82 1990 - 2020
Rwanda 26.6 83 1990 - 2020
Estonia 26.4 84 1990 - 2020
Italy 26.1 85 1990 - 2020
Domin. Rep. 26 86 1990 - 2020
Greece 26 87 1990 - 2020
Kenya 25.9 88 1990 - 2020
Mozambique 25.9 89 1990 - 2020
Romania 25.8 90 1990 - 2020
Bangladesh 25.7 91 1990 - 2020
Botswana 25.7 92 1990 - 2020
Latvia 25.6 93 1990 - 2020
Cyprus 25.2 94 1990 - 2020
Tr.&Tobago 25.2 95 1990 - 2020
Lesotho 25.1 96 1990 - 2020
Yemen 24.9 97 1990 - 2020
Eq. Guinea 24.8 98 1990 - 2020
Namibia 24.7 99 1990 - 2020
Malta 24.5 100 1990 - 2020
Turkey 24.2 101 1990 - 2020
Slovenia 24.1 102 1990 - 2020
Barbados 23.9 103 1990 - 2020
Bahamas 23.8 104 1990 - 2020
Poland 22.9 105 1990 - 2020
Bhutan 22.8 106 1990 - 2020
Ethiopia 22.7 107 1990 - 2020
Maldives 22.7 108 1990 - 2020
South Africa 22.7 109 1990 - 2020
Hungary 22.5 110 1990 - 2020
South Korea 22.5 111 1990 - 2020
Portugal 22.3 112 1990 - 2020
Burma 22.1 113 1990 - 2020
UA Emirates 22.1 114 1990 - 2020
Argentina 21.2 115 1990 - 2020
Spain 20.6 116 1990 - 2020
Costa Rica 20.5 117 1990 - 2020
Belgium 20.2 118 1990 - 2020
Laos 20 119 1990 - 2020
Mauritius 19.3 120 1990 - 2020
Israel 19.2 121 1990 - 2020
Syria 17.3 122 1990 - 2020
Sweden 17.1 123 1990 - 2020
Czechia 16.7 124 1990 - 2020
Norway 16.5 125 1990 - 2020
Iran 16.2 126 1990 - 2020
Denmark 16.1 127 1990 - 2020
India 15.9 128 1990 - 2020
Slovakia 15.9 129 1990 - 2020
Finland 15.8 130 1990 - 2020
Oman 15.5 131 1990 - 2020
Chile 15.4 132 1990 - 2020
Mongolia 15.4 133 1990 - 2020
Jordan 15 134 1990 - 2020
Indonesia 14.9 135 1990 - 2020
Germany 14.8 136 1990 - 2020
Iceland 14.7 137 1990 - 2020
Saudi Arabia 14.7 138 1990 - 2020
Bahrain 14.5 139 1990 - 2020
Kuwait 14.4 140 1992 - 2020
France 14 141 1990 - 2020
Canada 13.9 142 1990 - 2020
Qatar 13.8 143 1990 - 2020
Ireland 13.2 144 1990 - 2020
Australia 12.6 145 1990 - 2020
Netherlands 12.5 146 1990 - 2020
UK 11.7 147 1990 - 2020
New Zealand 11.2 148 1990 - 2020
Singapore 10.8 149 1990 - 2020
Vietnam 10.6 150 1990 - 2020
Japan 10.2 151 1990 - 2020
Austria 9.1 152 1990 - 2020
Luxembourg 9.1 153 1990 - 2020
China 8 154 1990 - 2020
USA 8 155 1990 - 2020
Switzerland 7.9 156 1990 - 2020



Definition: This method of estimating the size of the informal economy is based on a Dynamic General Equilibrium model where economic agents can allocate time and effort in the formal and the informal sector. Their allocation decision is driven by model parameters such as government spending and taxation. The theoretical model is calibrated to arrive at a measure of the size of the informal economy. The estimate is put to further robustness tests. See Elgin and Oztunali (2012) for further methodological detail.

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60.40
58.20
54.90
54.90
46.10
46.00
46.00
45.00
44.80
44.20
44.00
43.50
43.30
43.00
42.80
42.60
42.40
42.10
41.10
40.70
40.70
40.60
40.40
40.40
40.30
40.00
39.90
39.70
39.60
39.50
39.10
39.10
38.40
37.70
37.60
36.80
36.50
36.50
36.40
36.00
35.70
35.70
35.50
35.50
35.00
34.00
33.70
33.40
33.20
33.00
32.90
32.70
32.70
32.40
32.40
32.00
31.70
31.60
31.30
31.20
30.90
30.50
30.40
30.40
29.80
29.40
29.30
29.30
29.00
28.70
28.50
28.40
28.40
28.10
28.00
27.80
27.80
27.70
27.30
27.20
27.20
26.80
26.60
26.40
26.10
26.00
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25.90
25.90
25.80
25.70
25.70
25.60
25.20
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25.10
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23.90
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22.90
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22.70
22.70
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22.50
22.50
22.30
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22.10
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20.60
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13.90
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12.60
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11.70
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10.80
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9.10
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8.00
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7.90
0
15.1
30.2
45.3
60.4


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