Informal employment in Arab States
Arab States: Informal employment was 29,945 in 2027. ▲ Rising
Informal employment in Arab States, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for informal employment in Arab States is 29,945, measured in 2027. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 40.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in Arab States peaked at 29,945 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 14,508, in 2004.
Arab States ranks 45th of 87 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Informal employment in Arab States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 14,508 | — |
| 2005 | 15,011 | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 15,626 | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 16,420 | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 16,712 | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 17,419 | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 17,937 | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 18,670 | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 18,899 | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 19,465 | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 20,240 | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 20,300 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 21,090 | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 21,282 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 21,952 | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 22,886 | +4.3% |
| 2020 | 22,624 | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 23,477 | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 25,299 | +7.8% |
| 2023 | 26,766 | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 27,644 | +3.3% |
| 2025 | 28,516 | +3.2% |
| 2026 | 29,229 | +2.5% |
| 2027 | 29,945 | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15,950 | 14,508 | 17,419 | 6 |
| 2010s | 20,272 | 17,937 | 22,886 | 10 |
| 2020s | 26,687 | 22,624 | 29,945 | 8 |
More work & labour data for Arab States
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 71,228 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 49.25 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 73,387 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 9.49 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2.22 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 82,393 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 36,395 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 44.58 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 2.93 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.37 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in Arab States?
- Informal employment in Arab States was 29,945 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in Arab States?
- The highest recorded value was 29,945 in 2027.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Arab States?
- The lowest recorded value was 14,508 in 2004.
- How does Arab States rank for informal employment?
- Arab States ranks 45th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in Arab States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Arab States data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. Informal employment comprises persons who in their main or secondary jobs were (a) own-account workers, employers and members of producers' cooperatives employed in their own informal sector enterprises; (b) own-account workers engaged in the production of goods exclusively for own final use by their household (e.g. subsistence farming); (c) contributing family workers, regardless of whether they work in formal or informal sector enterprises; or (d) employees holding informal jobs, whether employed by formal sector enterprises, informal sector enterprises, or as paid domestic workers by households. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.