Informal employment in Eastern Asia

Eastern Asia: Informal employment was 408,155 in 2027. ▼ Falling

Latest (2027)
408,155
Change on year
down 0.8%
Rank
17th
of 87 groups
All-time high
478,938
in 2004
All-time low
408,155
in 2027
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Informal employment in Eastern Asia, 2004–2027

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k2004201520272004: 478.9k2005: 475.0k2006: 475.4k2007: 473.6k2008: 471.2k2009: 467.7k2010: 465.2k2011: 459.5k2012: 455.8k2013: 444.5k2014: 442.4k2015: 437.3k2016: 433.3k2017: 429.5k2018: 424.9k2019: 421.7k2020: 409.4k2021: 427.5k2022: 415.5k2023: 418.4k2024: 414.7k2025: 414.0k2026: 411.3k2027: 408.2k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for informal employment in Eastern Asia is 408,155, measured in 2027. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, informal employment in Eastern Asia peaked at 478,938 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 408,155, in 2027.

That places Eastern Asia 17th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.

Informal employment in Eastern Asia, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates) in Eastern Asia, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 478,938
2005 475,036 -0.8%
2006 475,410 +0.1%
2007 473,616 -0.4%
2008 471,176 -0.5%
2009 467,651 -0.7%
2010 465,225 -0.5%
2011 459,510 -1.2%
2012 455,777 -0.8%
2013 444,535 -2.5%
2014 442,431 -0.5%
2015 437,304 -1.2%
2016 433,285 -0.9%
2017 429,452 -0.9%
2018 424,917 -1.1%
2019 421,710 -0.8%
2020 409,385 -2.9%
2021 427,486 +4.4%
2022 415,528 -2.8%
2023 418,390 +0.7%
2024 414,712 -0.9%
2025 414,031 -0.2%
2026 411,306 -0.7%
2027 408,155 -0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 473,638 467,651 478,938 6
2010s 441,415 421,710 465,225 10
2020s 414,874 408,155 427,486 8

More work & labour data for Eastern Asia

All data for Eastern Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment in Eastern Asia?
Informal employment in Eastern Asia was 408,155 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest informal employment recorded in Eastern Asia?
The highest recorded value was 478,938 in 2004.
What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Eastern Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 408,155 in 2027.
How does Eastern Asia rank for informal employment?
Eastern Asia ranks 17th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is informal employment rising or falling in Eastern Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Eastern Asia 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.

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Informal employment in Eastern Asia. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-ilo-modelled-estimates/eastern-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
87 places, 2,088 data points, 2004–2027
Last refreshed

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.