Informal workers in Brazil
- Data for: Aug 2026
- Aug 2025: 38.9 million (−0.1%)
- Source: IBGE, PNAD Contínua (SIDRA table 8501)
Informal workers numbered 38.8 million in the quarter ending Aug 2026, according to the PNAD Contínua. A year earlier (Aug 2025), the figure was 38.9 million (−0.1%).
Series used: employed people in informal work (PNAD Contínua, SIDRA 8501). Data updated on .
Value at the end of each year
| Year | Employed people in informal work |
|---|---|
| 2026 (through Aug 2026) | 38.8 million |
| 2025 | 38.7 million |
| 2024 | 39.3 million |
| 2023 | 38.8 million |
| 2022 | 37.9 million |
| 2021 | 38.3 million |
| 2020 | 33.5 million |
| 2019 | 38.2 million |
| 2018 | 37.6 million |
| 2017 | 36.7 million |
| 2016 | 34.9 million |
| 2015 | 35.1 million |
Analysis on this topic
How IBGE defines it
Under IBGE's definition, informal workers are private-sector employees and domestic workers without a signed work card, employers and self-employed workers without a CNPJ, and unpaid family workers. The data start in the quarter ending December 2015.
How to read the numbers
Values are rolling quarters: each point summarizes the three months ending in the month shown, which smooths out month-to-month swings. The PNAD Contínua is a household sample survey, so the figures have a margin of error and IBGE may revise them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the latest value of "Informal workers"?
Employed people in informal work: 38.8 million, for Aug 2026. A year earlier (Aug 2025): 38.9 million.
What does "Employed people in informal work" mean?
Under IBGE's definition, informal workers are private-sector employees and domestic workers without a signed work card, employers and self-employed workers without a CNPJ, and unpaid family workers. The data start in the quarter ending December 2015.
Where does the "Informal workers" data come from and when is it updated?
The data come from IBGE, PNAD Contínua (SIDRA table 8501). This page shows the figure for Aug 2026 and the base was updated on Oct 26, 2026. The source may revise numbers already published.
Download the data and cite it
Full series in open format: CSV. Unit: thousand people (rolling quarter ending in the month).
Updated . How to cite: dadobruto.com. Employed people in informal work. Data: IBGE, PNAD Contínua (SIDRA table 8501). Updated Oct 26, 2026. https://dadobruto.com/en/brazil-in-numbers/informal-workers
License: You may copy and republish the data and charts, including commercially, under the CC BY 4.0 license. The condition is to credit "dadobruto.com" and, when published online, to link to dadobruto.com or to the page the data came from. The original numbers follow the rules of IBGE, PNAD Contínua (SIDRA table 8501).
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