{
  "title": "Informal Economy Data: Compilation Practices - Informal Economy Reports",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/en/data/statistics/informal-economy-data/reports",
  "canonical": "https://www.imf.org/en/data/statistics/informal-economy-data/reports",
  "overlayPath": "/en/data/statistics/informal-economy-data/reports/index.md",
  "summary": "International Accounts © 2026 International Monetary Fund.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Covered informal activities",
      "content": "- Illegal Drug Trafficking\n- Smuggling of Cigarettes / Tobacco\n- Illegal Prostitution / Prostitution Services\n- Cross Border Illegal Drugs\n- Smuggling of Migrants\n- Trafficking of Arms\n- Smuggling of Alcohol / Production of Illegal Alcoholic Beverages\n- Estimation of Drug Distribution and Production\n- Net Purchases of Foreign Currency in Cash\n- Workers' Remittances Through Informal Channels\n- Informal Trade With Neighboring Countries\n- White (Light) Oil Reexport\n- Expenditures for On-Line Purchases From Abroad\n- Services Travel: Expenditures of Foreign Workers\n- Compensation of Employees for Foreign/Foreign Employees/Informal Workers\n- Primary Income: Compensation of Employees for Informal Workers\n- Estimating Volume of Merchandise Exports and Imports Not Captured in Customs Statistics\n- Personal Transfers in the U.S. International Accounts"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Country-specific reports and case studies (selected titles)",
      "content": "- Austria: Illegal Drug Trafficking, Smuggling of Cigarettes and Illegal Prostitution in National Accounts and Balance...\n- Belgium: Cross Border Illegal Drugs in the Balance of Payments\n- Belgium: Prostitution Services in the Balance of Payments\n- Belgium: Smuggling of Cigarettes in the Balance of Payments\n- Greece: Smuggling of Illegal Goods\n- Hungary: Estimation of Drug Distribution and Production in the Hungarian National...\n- Hungary: Estimation of Prostitution Activity in the Hungarian National Accounts\n- Hungary: Estimation of Smuggling Activity in the Hungarian National Accounts\n- Islamic Republic of Iran: Estimations on Smuggling of Goods\n- Israel: Estimates of Expenditures of Israeli Households for On-Line Purchases From Abroad\n- Israel: Services Travel: Expenditures of Foreign Workers\n- Israel: Compensation of Employees- Foreign Employees in Israel (Including Palestinian Authority Residents)\n- Israel: Flight Tickets Receive as Gift\n- Kyrgyz Republic: Estimation of White (Light) Oil Reexport\n- Lithuania: Illegal Activities: Prostitution, Smuggling of Tobacco, Smuggling and Production of Illegal Alcoholic Beverages, and Drugs\n- Malta: Smuggling of Illegal Drugs\n- Moldova: Net Purchases of Foreign Currency in Cash\n- Moldova: Compensation of Employees and Personal Transfers, Inflow of Foreign Cash via Informal Channels\n- Netherlands: Measuring Illegal Drugs\n- Nigeria: Informal Trade With Neighboring Countries\n- Peru: Workers' Remittances of Peruvians Through Informal Channels\n- Portugal: Tobacco Smuggling and Drug Trafficking\n- Romania: Goods: Illegal Drugs in the International Accounts/Illegal Drugs; Illicit Cigarette/Tobacco Market; Smuggling of Alcohol; and Services: Prostitution\n- Russian Federation: The Russian Practices for Encouraging Coordination Between National Accounts and Balance of Payments to Produce Informal Economy Data\n- Russian Federation: Experience of the Russian Federation in Evaluating Transactions of Individuals, Related to Acquisition of Real Estate Abroad\n- Russian Federation: Estimating Volume of Merchandise Exports and Imports That Are Not Captured in the Customs Statistics\n- Rwanda: Primary Income: Compensation of Employees for Informal Workers\n- Rwanda: Measuring Informal Cross Border Trade Between Rwanda and Her Neighboring Countries\n- Sweden: Illegal Narcotics in the National Accounts\n- Uganda: The Informal Cross Border Trade Survey\n- United Kingdom: Smuggling of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs\n- United States: Personal Transfers in the U.S. International Accounts"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Regional and institutional studies",
      "content": "- COMESA: Cross Border Initiative\n- ECB: Estimation of Prostitution Services in Europe in the Context of the External Accounts\n- Eurostat: Smuggling of Migrants\n- Eurostat: Trafficking of Arms"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Cross-border, trade, and balance of payments focus",
      "content": "- Multiple reports address cross-border trade and external account implications, including:\n  - Cross Border Illegal Drugs\n  - Smuggling of Cigarettes / Tobacco and Alcohol\n  - Estimating merchandise exports and imports not captured in customs statistics\n  - Informal cross border trade surveys and initiatives\n  - Net purchases of foreign currency in cash and inflow of foreign cash via informal channels"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Labor, remittances, and household expenditures",
      "content": "- Reports examine:\n  - Compensation of Employees (foreign employees, informal workers, including Palestinian Authority residents)\n  - Personal Transfers and Workers' Remittances through informal channels\n  - Expenditures of households for on-line purchases from abroad\n  - Services travel expenditures of foreign workers\n  - Flight tickets received as gifts"
    }
  ],
  "bullets": [
    "Illegal Drug Trafficking",
    "Smuggling of Cigarettes / Tobacco",
    "Illegal Prostitution / Prostitution Services",
    "Cross Border Illegal Drugs",
    "Smuggling of Migrants",
    "Trafficking of Arms",
    "Smuggling of Alcohol / Production of Illegal Alcoholic Beverages",
    "Estimation of Drug Distribution and Production",
    "Net Purchases of Foreign Currency in Cash",
    "Workers' Remittances Through Informal Channels",
    "Informal Trade With Neighboring Countries",
    "White (Light) Oil Reexport",
    "Expenditures for On-Line Purchases From Abroad",
    "Services Travel: Expenditures of Foreign Workers",
    "Compensation of Employees for Foreign/Foreign Employees/Informal Workers",
    "Primary Income: Compensation of Employees for Informal Workers",
    "Estimating Volume of Merchandise Exports and Imports Not Captured in Customs Statistics",
    "Personal Transfers in the U.S. International Accounts",
    "Austria: Illegal Drug Trafficking, Smuggling of Cigarettes and Illegal Prostitution in National Accounts and Balance...",
    "Belgium: Cross Border Illegal Drugs in the Balance of Payments",
    "Belgium: Prostitution Services in the Balance of Payments",
    "Belgium: Smuggling of Cigarettes in the Balance of Payments",
    "Greece: Smuggling of Illegal Goods",
    "Hungary: Estimation of Drug Distribution and Production in the Hungarian National...",
    "Hungary: Estimation of Prostitution Activity in the Hungarian National Accounts",
    "Hungary: Estimation of Smuggling Activity in the Hungarian National Accounts",
    "Islamic Republic of Iran: Estimations on Smuggling of Goods",
    "Israel: Estimates of Expenditures of Israeli Households for On-Line Purchases From Abroad",
    "Israel: Services Travel: Expenditures of Foreign Workers",
    "Israel: Compensation of Employees- Foreign Employees in Israel (Including Palestinian Authority Residents)",
    "Israel: Flight Tickets Receive as Gift",
    "Kyrgyz Republic: Estimation of White (Light) Oil Reexport",
    "Lithuania: Illegal Activities: Prostitution, Smuggling of Tobacco, Smuggling and Production of Illegal Alcoholic Beverages, and Drugs",
    "Malta: Smuggling of Illegal Drugs",
    "Moldova: Net Purchases of Foreign Currency in Cash",
    "Moldova: Compensation of Employees and Personal Transfers, Inflow of Foreign Cash via Informal Channels",
    "Netherlands: Measuring Illegal Drugs",
    "Nigeria: Informal Trade With Neighboring Countries",
    "Peru: Workers' Remittances of Peruvians Through Informal Channels",
    "Portugal: Tobacco Smuggling and Drug Trafficking",
    "Romania: Goods: Illegal Drugs in the International Accounts/Illegal Drugs; Illicit Cigarette/Tobacco Market; Smuggling of Alcohol; and Services: Prostitution",
    "Russian Federation: The Russian Practices for Encouraging Coordination Between National Accounts and Balance of Payments to Produce Informal Economy Data",
    "Russian Federation: Experience of the Russian Federation in Evaluating Transactions of Individuals, Related to Acquisition of Real Estate Abroad",
    "Russian Federation: Estimating Volume of Merchandise Exports and Imports That Are Not Captured in the Customs Statistics",
    "Rwanda: Primary Income: Compensation of Employees for Informal Workers",
    "Rwanda: Measuring Informal Cross Border Trade Between Rwanda and Her Neighboring Countries",
    "Sweden: Illegal Narcotics in the National Accounts",
    "Uganda: The Informal Cross Border Trade Survey",
    "United Kingdom: Smuggling of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs",
    "United States: Personal Transfers in the U.S. International Accounts",
    "COMESA: Cross Border Initiative",
    "ECB: Estimation of Prostitution Services in Europe in the Context of the External Accounts",
    "Eurostat: Smuggling of Migrants",
    "Eurostat: Trafficking of Arms",
    "Multiple reports address cross-border trade and external account implications, including:",
    "Reports examine:"
  ],
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  },
  "generatedAtUtc": "2026-10-02T02:52:54.665Z"
}