Shadow economy - Country rankings
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
Shadow economy, percent of GDP, 2015:
The average for 2015 based on 158 countries was 27.78 percent. The highest value was in Zimbabwe: 67 percent and the lowest value was in Switzerland: 6.94 percent. The indicator is available from 1991 to 2015. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.Measure: percent; Source: Medina and Schneider (2018)
Select indicator
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
Countries | Shadow economy, 2015 | Global rank | Available data |
---|---|---|---|
Zimbabwe | 67 | 1 | 1991 - 2015 |
Haiti | 56.38 | 2 | 1991 - 2015 |
Georgia | 53.07 | 3 | 1991 - 2015 |
Nigeria | 52.49 | 4 | 1991 - 2015 |
Gabon | 52.01 | 5 | 1991 - 2015 |
Burma | 50.99 | 6 | 1991 - 2015 |
C.A. Republic | 50.71 | 7 | 1991 - 2015 |
Benin | 48.28 | 8 | 1991 - 2015 |
DR Congo | 46.95 | 9 | 1991 - 2015 |
Guatemala | 46.88 | 10 | 1991 - 2015 |
Bolivia | 45.98 | 11 | 1991 - 2015 |
Madagascar | 45.29 | 12 | 1991 - 2015 |
Liberia | 43.67 | 13 | 1991 - 2015 |
Azerbaijan | 43.66 | 14 | 1991 - 2015 |
Gambia | 43.64 | 15 | 1991 - 2015 |
Thailand | 43.12 | 16 | 1991 - 2015 |
Ukraine | 42.9 | 17 | 1991 - 2015 |
El Salvador | 42.6 | 18 | 1991 - 2015 |
Ivory Coast | 42.4 | 19 | 1991 - 2015 |
Belize | 42.29 | 20 | 1991 - 2015 |
Guinea | 41.58 | 21 | 1991 - 2015 |
Peru | 41.53 | 22 | 1991 - 2015 |
Swaziland | 40.94 | 23 | 1991 - 2015 |
Comoros | 40.92 | 24 | 1991 - 2015 |
Moldova | 39.68 | 25 | 1991 - 2015 |
Nicaragua | 39.51 | 26 | 1991 - 2015 |
Ghana | 39.37 | 27 | 1991 - 2015 |
Tanzania | 38.91 | 28 | 1991 - 2015 |
Bahamas | 38.55 | 29 | 1991 - 2015 |
Libya | 38.27 | 30 | 1991 - 2015 |
Tajikistan | 37.73 | 31 | 1991 - 2015 |
Honduras | 37.68 | 32 | 1991 - 2015 |
Eritrea | 36.53 | 33 | 1991 - 2015 |
Armenia | 35.96 | 34 | 1991 - 2015 |
Burundi | 35.68 | 35 | 1991 - 2015 |
Sri Lanka | 35.49 | 36 | 1991 - 2015 |
Angola | 35.25 | 37 | 1991 - 2015 |
Brazil | 35.22 | 38 | 1991 - 2015 |
Papua N.G. | 35.16 | 39 | 1991 - 2015 |
R. of Congo | 35.05 | 40 | 1991 - 2015 |
G.-Bissau | 34.94 | 41 | 1991 - 2015 |
Sierra Leone | 34.18 | 42 | 1991 - 2015 |
Niger | 34.12 | 43 | 1991 - 2015 |
Cambodia | 33.85 | 44 | 1991 - 2015 |
Russia | 33.72 | 45 | 1991 - 2015 |
Senegal | 33.68 | 46 | 1991 - 2015 |
Venezuela | 33.63 | 47 | 1991 - 2015 |
Malawi | 33.56 | 48 | 1991 - 2015 |
Kenya | 33.43 | 49 | 1991 - 2015 |
Egypt | 33.32 | 50 | 1991 - 2015 |
Zambia | 32.99 | 51 | 1991 - 2015 |
Kazakhstan | 32.82 | 52 | 1991 - 2015 |
Belarus | 32.37 | 53 | 1991 - 2015 |
Lesotho | 32.32 | 54 | 1991 - 2015 |
Cyprus | 32.2 | 55 | 1991 - 2015 |
Uganda | 31.88 | 56 | 1991 - 2015 |
Paraguay | 31.66 | 57 | 1991 - 2015 |
Pakistan | 31.62 | 58 | 1991 - 2015 |
Togo | 31.49 | 59 | 1991 - 2015 |
Tr.&Tobago | 31.4 | 60 | 1991 - 2015 |
Eq. Guinea | 31.38 | 61 | 1991 - 2015 |
Mozambique | 30.98 | 62 | 1991 - 2015 |
Tunisia | 30.9 | 63 | 1991 - 2015 |
Solomon Isl. | 30.89 | 64 | 1991 - 2015 |
Kyrgyzstan | 30.78 | 65 | 1991 - 2015 |
Brunei | 30.44 | 66 | 1991 - 2015 |
Cape Verde | 30.23 | 67 | 1991 - 2015 |
Nepal | 30.22 | 68 | 1991 - 2015 |
Ecuador | 30.18 | 69 | 1991 - 2015 |
Bosnia & Herz. | 29.88 | 70 | 1991 - 2015 |
Burkina Faso | 29.63 | 71 | 1991 - 2015 |
Mali | 29.45 | 72 | 1991 - 2015 |
Malta | 29.43 | 73 | 1991 - 2015 |
Lebanon | 29.16 | 74 | 1991 - 2015 |
Taiwan | 28.97 | 75 | 1991 - 2015 |
Cameroon | 28.93 | 76 | 1991 - 2015 |
Yemen | 28.81 | 77 | 1991 - 2015 |
Chad | 28.76 | 78 | 1991 - 2015 |
Mexico | 28.07 | 79 | 1991 - 2015 |
Rwanda | 28.05 | 80 | 1991 - 2015 |
Philippines | 28.04 | 81 | 1991 - 2015 |
Domin. Rep. | 27.97 | 82 | 1991 - 2015 |
Bangladesh | 27.6 | 83 | 1991 - 2015 |
Turkey | 27.43 | 84 | 1991 - 2015 |
Morocco | 27.13 | 85 | 1991 - 2015 |
Greece | 26.45 | 86 | 1991 - 2015 |
Albania | 26.21 | 87 | 1991 - 2015 |
Guyana | 26.09 | 88 | 1991 - 2015 |
Malaysia | 26.07 | 89 | 1991 - 2015 |
Mauritania | 25.75 | 90 | 1991 - 2015 |
Fiji | 25.37 | 91 | 1991 - 2015 |
Colombia | 25.25 | 92 | 1991 - 2015 |
Ethiopia | 25.1 | 93 | 1991 - 2015 |
Laos | 25 | 94 | 1991 - 2015 |
Argentina | 24.99 | 95 | 1991 - 2015 |
Jamaica | 24.97 | 96 | 1991 - 2015 |
UA Emirates | 24.26 | 97 | 1991 - 2015 |
Botswana | 23.99 | 98 | 1991 - 2015 |
Algeria | 23.98 | 99 | 1991 - 2015 |
Oman | 23.91 | 100 | 1991 - 2015 |
Suriname | 23.8 | 101 | 1991 - 2015 |
Italy | 22.97 | 102 | 1991 - 2015 |
Croatia | 22.96 | 103 | 1991 - 2015 |
Romania | 22.94 | 104 | 1991 - 2015 |
Spain | 22.01 | 105 | 1991 - 2015 |
South Africa | 21.99 | 106 | 1991 - 2015 |
Namibia | 21.78 | 107 | 1991 - 2015 |
Indonesia | 21.76 | 108 | 1991 - 2015 |
Kuwait | 21.72 | 109 | 1991 - 2015 |
Bulgaria | 20.83 | 110 | 1991 - 2015 |
Maldives | 20.65 | 111 | 1991 - 2015 |
Hungary | 20.49 | 112 | 1991 - 2015 |
Uruguay | 20.38 | 113 | 1991 - 2015 |
Bhutan | 20.28 | 114 | 1991 - 2015 |
Slovenia | 20.21 | 115 | 1991 - 2015 |
South Korea | 19.83 | 116 | 1991 - 2015 |
Syria | 19.53 | 117 | 1991 - 2015 |
Costa Rica | 19.24 | 118 | 1991 - 2015 |
Mauritius | 19.23 | 119 | 1991 - 2015 |
Israel | 19.18 | 120 | 1991 - 2015 |
Lithuania | 18.65 | 121 | 1991 - 2015 |
Estonia | 18.49 | 122 | 1991 - 2015 |
Iran | 18.38 | 123 | 1991 - 2015 |
India | 17.89 | 124 | 1991 - 2015 |
Portugal | 17.82 | 125 | 1991 - 2015 |
Belgium | 17.8 | 126 | 1991 - 2015 |
Poland | 16.67 | 127 | 1991 - 2015 |
Bahrain | 16.63 | 128 | 1991 - 2015 |
Latvia | 16.62 | 129 | 1991 - 2015 |
Jordan | 15.16 | 130 | 1991 - 2015 |
Norway | 15.07 | 131 | 1991 - 2015 |
Vietnam | 14.78 | 132 | 1991 - 2015 |
Denmark | 14.7 | 133 | 1991 - 2015 |
Saudi Arabia | 14.7 | 134 | 1991 - 2015 |
Finland | 13.3 | 135 | 1991 - 2015 |
Mongolia | 13.2 | 136 | 1991 - 2015 |
Chile | 13.16 | 137 | 1991 - 2015 |
Qatar | 13.08 | 138 | 1991 - 2015 |
Iceland | 12.45 | 139 | 1991 - 2015 |
Hong Kong | 12.39 | 140 | 1991 - 2015 |
China | 12.11 | 141 | 1991 - 2015 |
Sweden | 11.74 | 142 | 1991 - 2015 |
France | 11.65 | 143 | 1991 - 2015 |
Slovakia | 11.18 | 144 | 1991 - 2015 |
Czechia | 10.47 | 145 | 1991 - 2015 |
Luxembourg | 10.38 | 146 | 1991 - 2015 |
Ireland | 9.58 | 147 | 1991 - 2015 |
Canada | 9.42 | 148 | 1991 - 2015 |
Singapore | 9.2 | 149 | 1991 - 2015 |
Austria | 9.01 | 150 | 1991 - 2015 |
New Zealand | 8.97 | 151 | 1991 - 2015 |
UK | 8.32 | 152 | 1991 - 2015 |
Japan | 8.19 | 153 | 1991 - 2015 |
Australia | 8.1 | 154 | 1991 - 2015 |
Netherlands | 7.83 | 155 | 1991 - 2015 |
Germany | 7.75 | 156 | 1991 - 2015 |
USA | 7 | 157 | 1991 - 2015 |
Switzerland | 6.94 | 158 | 1991 - 2015 |
Definition: The shadow economy as percent of total annual GDP. Detailed methodology of the estimations can be obtained from the following International Monetary Fund working paper by Leandro Medina and Friedrich Schneider (2018): Shadow Economies Around the World: What Did We Learn Over the Last 20 Years? The series are discontinued but can still serve as a benchmark in calibration exercises.
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67.00
56.38
53.07
52.49
52.01
50.99
50.71
48.28
46.95
46.88
45.98
45.29
43.67
43.66
43.64
43.12
42.90
42.60
42.40
42.29
41.58
41.53
40.94
40.92
39.68
39.51
39.37
38.91
38.55
38.27
37.73
37.68
36.53
35.96
35.68
35.49
35.25
35.22
35.16
35.05
34.94
34.18
34.12
33.85
33.72
33.68
33.63
33.56
33.43
33.32
32.99
32.82
32.37
32.32
32.20
31.88
31.66
31.62
31.49
31.40
31.38
30.98
30.90
30.89
30.78
30.44
30.23
30.22
30.18
29.88
29.63
29.45
29.43
29.16
28.97
28.93
28.81
28.76
28.07
28.05
28.04
27.97
27.60
27.43
27.13
26.45
26.21
26.09
26.07
25.75
25.37
25.25
25.10
25.00
24.99
24.97
24.26
23.99
23.98
23.91
23.80
22.97
22.96
22.94
22.01
21.99
21.78
21.76
21.72
20.83
20.65
20.49
20.38
20.28
20.21
19.83
19.53
19.24
19.23
19.18
18.65
18.49
18.38
17.89
17.82
17.80
16.67
16.63
16.62
15.16
15.07
14.78
14.70
14.70
13.30
13.20
13.16
13.08
12.45
12.39
12.11
11.74
11.65
11.18
10.47
10.38
9.58
9.42
9.20
9.01
8.97
8.32
8.19
8.10
7.83
7.75
7.00
6.94
0
16.8
33.5
50.3
67
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