Employment outside the formal sector in Uganda

Uganda: Employment outside the formal sector was 16,788 in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
16,788
Change on year
up 9.2%
World rank
10th
of 81 countries
All-time high
16,788
in 2021
All-time low
8,986
in 2012
Years of data
7
2010–2021

Employment outside the formal sector in Uganda, 2010–2021

05.0k10.0k15.0k2010201520212010: 10.1k2011: 11.8k2012: 9.0k2014: 14.1k2017: 12.5k2019: 15.4k2021: 16.8k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for employment outside the formal sector in Uganda is 16,788, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.2% on the previous year and up 42.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employment outside the formal sector in Uganda peaked at 16,788 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 8,986, in 2012.

Uganda ranks 10th of 81 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Employment outside the formal sector in Uganda, year by year

Annual values for Employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Uganda, 2010 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2010 10,084
2011 11,750 +16.5%
2012 8,986 -23.5%
2014 14,077 +56.6%
2017 12,512 -11.1%
2019 15,378 +22.9%
2021 16,788 +9.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 12,131 8,986 15,378 6
2020s 16,788 16,788 16,788 1

Countries ranked near Uganda

  1. 7 Mexico 29,009 compare
  2. 8 Egypt 22,172 compare
  3. 9 Thailand 18,727 compare
  4. 11 Myanmar 14,990 compare
  5. 12 Russian Federation 14,123 compare
  6. 13 Angola 11,270 compare

See the full ranking of 81 places →

More work & labour data for Uganda

All data for Uganda →

Frequently asked questions

What is employment outside the formal sector in Uganda?
Employment outside the formal sector in Uganda was 16,788 in 2021, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest employment outside the formal sector recorded in Uganda?
The highest recorded value was 16,788 in 2021.
What is the lowest employment outside the formal sector recorded in Uganda?
The lowest recorded value was 8,986 in 2012.
How does Uganda rank for employment outside the formal sector?
Uganda ranks 10th out of 81 countries with data for 2021.
Is employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Uganda?
Over the last ten years it is up 42.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Uganda data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Employment outside the formal sector in Uganda. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/employment-outside-the-formal-sector-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/uganda/

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About this data

Indicator
Employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
81 places, 1,202 data points, 1999–2026
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. This harmonized series for employment outside the formal sector is derived using the same set of criteria across countries to improve comparability. The criteria used are based on employment status, institutional sector, destination of production, bookkeeping, registration, social security contribution, places of work and size. Data disaggregated by occupation are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). Data may have been regrouped from the national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISCO. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.