Informal employment, female in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Informal employment, female was 17.2% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
17.2%
Change on year
down 20.4%
World rank
16th
of 45 countries
All-time high
21.6%
in 2017
All-time low
11.2%
in 2014
Years of data
5
2014–2018

Informal employment, female in United Kingdom, 2014–2018

051015202014201620182014: 11.2 % of total female non-agricultural employment2015: 11.7 % of total female non-agricultural employment2016: 12.4 % of total female non-agricultural employment2017: 21.6 % of total female non-agricultural employment2018: 17.2 % of total female non-agricultural employment

Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total female non-agricultural employment.

Analysis

The most recent figure for informal employment, female in United Kingdom is 17.2%, measured in 2018.

The figure is down 20.4% on the previous year and up 53.0% over five years.

That places United Kingdom 16th out of 45 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

Informal employment, female in United Kingdom, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment, female (% of total female non-agricultural employment) in United Kingdom, 2014 to 2018.
Year % of total female non-agricultural employment Change
2014 11.2%
2015 11.7% +4.6%
2016 12.4% +5.9%
2017 21.6% +73.6%
2018 17.2% -20.4%

United Kingdom compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom's 17.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.2%, 4.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom's 17.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.1%, 4.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 13 Chile 27.5% compare
  2. 14 Georgia 19.5%
  3. 15 Russia 17.5% compare
  4. 17 Mongolia 16.1%
  5. 18 Italy 10.8% compare
  6. 19 Armenia 9.4%

See the full ranking of 45 places →

More work & labour data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment, female in United Kingdom?
Informal employment, female in United Kingdom was 17.2% in 2018, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest informal employment, female recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 21.6% in 2017.
What is the lowest informal employment, female recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 2014.
How does United Kingdom rank for informal employment, female?
United Kingdom ranks 16th out of 45 countries with data for 2018.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Informal employment, female (% of total female non-agricultural employment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Informal employment, female in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-female-percent-of-total-female-non-agricultural-employment/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Informal employment, female (% of total female non-agricultural employment)
Unit
% of total female non-agricultural employment
Source
Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
45 places, 426 data points, 2014–2025
Last refreshed

This indicator shows the share of workers at working age in informal employment in non-agricultural activities out of total employment in non-agricultural activities, expressed as a percentage. Informal employment comprises workers whose main or secondary jobs are informal. For own-account workers and employers, informality is determined by enterprise characteristics (unincorporated, market-based, and unregistered); for contributing family workers, it is determined by the absence of written contracts and lack of coverage under labor legislation; and for employees, it is determined by whether the employment relationship is not subject to national labor legislation, income taxation, or social protection. The data are based on the statistical standards adopted by the 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS).