List of countries by share of informal employment in total employment
The following article lists countries by the share of informal employment in total employment. Informal employment, as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO), refers to work arrangements that lack legal protection, social security benefits, and employment rights. It typically occurs in the unregulated or unprotected sector of the economy, where workers often lack formal contracts, job stability, and access to benefits such as paid leave, healthcare, and retirement plans. Informal employment is characterized by its casual nature, low wages, limited job security, and often involves self-employment or work in small, unregistered businesses. Worldwide, over 60 percent of workers are in informal employment. Informal employment differs significantly in different world regions. In Africa, a staggering 85.8 percent of employment falls under the informal sector, while in Asia and the Pacific, it accounts for 68.2 percent. The Arab States follow closely with 68.6 percent, while in the Americas, the proportion is 40.0 percent. Europe and Central Asia demonstrate the lowest prevalence of informal employment at 25.1 percent.[1]
Ranking
Countries by share of the labour force in informal employment.[2]
| Rank | Country | Share of informal employment (in percent) |
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Burundi
|
98.3% | 2014 |
| 2 |  Democratic Republic of the Congo
|
97.3% | 2012 |
| 3 |  Tonga
|
97.1% | 2021 |
| 4 |  Benin
|
96.9% | 2018 |
| 5 |  Chad
|
96.9% | 2018 |
| 6 |  Burkina Faso
|
95.7% | 2018 |
 Mozambique
|
95.7% | 2015 | |
| 8 |  Madagascar
|
95.2% | 2015 |
 Uganda
|
95.2% | 2021 | |
| 10 |  Guinea-Bissau
|
94.8% | 2018 |
| 11 |  Bangladesh
|
94.7% | 2017 |
| 12 |  Mali
|
94.0% | 2020 |
| 13 |  Tanzania
|
93.3% | 2020 |
| 14 |  Sierra Leone
|
93.1% | 2018 |
| 15 |  Ivory Coast
|
91.7% | 2019 |
| 16 |  Haiti
|
91.6% | 2012 |
| 17 |  Angola
|
90.3% | 2021 |
| 18 |  Togo
|
90.1% | 2017 |
| 19 |  Liberia
|
89.6% | 2017 |
| 20 |  Cambodia
|
89.4% | 2019 |
 Mauritania
|
89.4% | 2019 | |
| 22 |  India
|
89.1% | 2021 |
| 23 |  Laos
|
88.8% | 2017 |
| 24 |  Zimbabwe
|
88.4% | 2021 |
| 25 |  Comoros
|
87.5% | 2021 |
| 26 |  Rwanda
|
87.1% | 2021 |
 Cameroon
|
87.1% | 2014 | |
 Malawi
|
87.1% | 2013 | |
| 29 |  Sudan
|
87.0% | 2011 |
| 30 |  Kenya
|
86.5% | 2019 |
| 31 |  Afghanistan
|
86.4% | 2021 |
| 32 |  Zambia
|
86.0% | 2021 |
| 33 |  Ethiopia
|
85.2% | 2021 |
| 34 |  Pakistan
|
84.3% | 2021 |
| 35 |  Honduras
|
82.6% | 2017 |
| 36 |  Somalia
|
82.5% | 2019 |
| 37 |  Nepal
|
81.6% | 2017 |
 Nicaragua
|
81.6% | 2012 | |
| 39 |  Bolivia
|
81.5% | 2019 |
| 40 |  Myanmar
|
81.0% | 2020 |
| 41 |  Lesotho
|
80.9% | 2019 |
| 42 |  Timor-Leste
|
80.6% | 2021 |
| 43 |  Indonesia
|
80.2% | 2022 |
| 44 |  Guatemala
|
79.6% | 2022 |
| 45 |  Gambia
|
79.5% | 2018 |
| 46 |  Ghana
|
78.1% | 2015 |
| 47 |  Yemen
|
77.4% | 2014 |
| 48 |  Botswana
|
75.0% | 2022 |
| 49 |  Niger
|
73.6% | 2017 |
| 50 |  Vanuatu
|
72.6% | 2019 |
| 51 |  Ecuador
|
68.7% | 2022 |
| 52 |  Vietnam
|
68.6% | 2022 |
| 53 |  Cape Verde
|
68.3% | 2015 |
| 54 |  Peru
|
68.1% | 2022 |
| 55 |  Paraguay
|
67.9% | 2022 |
| 56 |  El Salvador
|
67.5% | 2022 |
| 57 |  Sri Lanka
|
67.2% | 2020 |
| 58 |  Egypt
|
67.0% | 2019 |
 Iraq
|
67.0% | 2021 | |
| 60 |  Thailand
|
65.0% | 2018 |
| 61 |  Kyrgyzstan
|
63.2% | 2021 |
| 62 |  Barbados
|
62.0% | 2016 |
| 63 |  Tunisia
|
61.3% | 2014 |
| 64 |  Eswatini
|
58.8% | 2016 |
| 65 |  Jamaica
|
58.3% | 2021 |
 Venezuela
|
58.3% | 2017 | |
| 67 |  Colombia
|
58.1% | 2022 |
| 68 |  Dominican Republic
|
57.3% | 2021 |
| 69 |  Albania
|
56.7% | 2019 |
| 70 |  Mexico
|
56.6% | 2022 |
| 71 |  Kiribati
|
56.1% | 2020 |
| 72 |  Moldova
|
55.9% | 2022 |
| 73 |  Namibia
|
55.8% | 2018 |
| 74 |  Panama
|
55.7% | 2021 |
| 75 |  Georgia
|
55.6% | 2020 |
| 76 |  Lebanon
|
55.4% | 2019 |
| 77 |  Palestine
|
53.9% | 2022 |
| 78 |  Samoa
|
52.6% | 2017 |
| 79 |  Suriname
|
52.1% | 2016 |
| 80 |  Jordan
|
51.6% | 2021 |
| 81 |  Djibouti
|
50.5% | 2017 |
| 82 |  Armenia
|
50.2% | 2021 |
| 83 |  Guyana
|
50.0% | 2019 |
| 84 |  Argentina
|
48.9% | 2021 |
| 85 |  Maldives
|
48.1% | 2019 |
| 86 |  Nauru
|
48.0% | 2021 |
| 87 |  Fiji
|
43.6% | 2016 |
| 88 |  Mongolia
|
43.2% | 2021 |
| 89 |  South Africa
|
42.2% | 2022 |
| 90 |  Costa Rica
|
39.3% | 2022 |
| 91 |  Brazil
|
38.5% | 2022 |
| 92 |  Brunei
|
34.0% | 2021 |
 Uruguay
|
34.0% | 2022 | |
| 94 |  Marshall Islands
|
33.1% | 2021 |
| 95 |  Saint Lucia
|
31.2% | 2022 |
| 96 |  Mauritius
|
30.1% | 2021 |
| 97 |  Turkey
|
29.9% | 2021 |
| 98 |  Chile
|
27.4% | 2022 |
| 99 |  South Korea
|
26.6% | 2019 |
| 100 |  Australia
|
26.1% | 2021 |
| 101 |  United Kingdom
|
24.5% | 2018 |
| 102 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
19.9% | 2022 |
| 103 |  Serbia
|
18.3% | 2021 |
| 104 |  Poland
|
17.0% | 2021 |
 Seychelles
|
17.0% | 2020 | |
| 106 |  Czech Republic
|
16.8% | 2021 |
| 107 |  Slovakia
|
16.3% | 2020 |
| 108 |  Malta
|
12.1% | 2020 |
| 109 |  Netherlands
|
11.8% | 2021 |
| 110 |  Italy
|
11.2% | 2021 |
| 111 |  Luxembourg
|
10.3% | 2021 |
| 112 |  Hungary
|
10.2% | 2020 |
| 113 |  North Macedonia
|
10.1% | 2022 |
| 114 |  Portugal
|
9.7% | 2021 |
| 115 |  Estonia
|
9.1% | 2021 |
| 116 |  Latvia
|
8.4% | 2021 |
| 117 |  Slovenia
|
7.7% | 2021 |
| 118 |  Denmark
|
7.6% | 2019 |
| 119 |  Bulgaria
|
6.8% | 2021 |
| 120 |  Finland
|
6.4% | 2021 |
| 121 |  Greece
|
6.3% | 2021 |
| 122 |  Spain
|
6.2% | 2021 |
| 123 |  Austria
|
6.0% | 2021 |
| 124 |  Lithuania
|
5.1% | 2021 |
| 125 |  Norway
|
4.9% | 2020 |
| 126 |  Cyprus
|
4.8% | 2021 |
| 127 |  France
|
4.4% | 2021 |
| 128 |  Germany
|
3.8% | 2021 |
| 129 |  Croatia
|
3.4% | 2021 |
| 130 |  Belgium
|
3.3% | 2021 |
| 131 |  Sweden
|
3.2% | 2021 |
| 132 |  Ireland
|
2.1% | 2021 |
| 133 |  Switzerland
|
1.6% | 2021 |
| 134 |  Iceland
|
1.4% | 2014 |
References
- ^ "More than 60 per cent of the world's employed population are in the informal economy". www.ilo.org. 2018-04-30. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ "ILO Data Explorer: Proportion of informal employment in total employment by sex and sector (%)". www.ilo.org. Retrieved 2023-06-24.