Informal employment in Northern Africa

Northern Africa: Informal employment was 47,739 in 2027. ▲ Rising

Latest (2027)
47,739
Change on year
up 1.9%
Rank
43rd
of 87 groups
All-time high
47,739
in 2027
All-time low
27,728
in 2004
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Informal employment in Northern Africa, 2004–2027

010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k2004201520272004: 27.7k2005: 28.4k2006: 29.5k2007: 30.6k2008: 31.2k2009: 32.1k2010: 33.7k2011: 33.5k2012: 33.0k2013: 34.0k2014: 34.8k2015: 35.3k2016: 36.6k2017: 37.2k2018: 38.4k2019: 39.6k2020: 39.0k2021: 41.5k2022: 43.1k2023: 45.5k2024: 45.1k2025: 46.0k2026: 46.9k2027: 47.7k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Northern Africa recorded 47,739 for informal employment in 2027. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 28.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, informal employment in Northern Africa peaked at 47,739 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 27,728, in 2004.

Northern Africa ranks 43rd 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 Northern Africa, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates) in Northern Africa, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 27,728 —
2005 28,438 +2.6%
2006 29,496 +3.7%
2007 30,619 +3.8%
2008 31,183 +1.8%
2009 32,100 +2.9%
2010 33,695 +5.0%
2011 33,514 -0.5%
2012 32,990 -1.6%
2013 33,979 +3.0%
2014 34,839 +2.5%
2015 35,349 +1.5%
2016 36,606 +3.6%
2017 37,197 +1.6%
2018 38,400 +3.2%
2019 39,642 +3.2%
2020 38,984 -1.7%
2021 41,457 +6.3%
2022 43,076 +3.9%
2023 45,467 +5.6%
2024 45,119 -0.8%
2025 45,955 +1.9%
2026 46,870 +2.0%
2027 47,739 +1.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 29,927 27,728 32,100 6
2010s 35,621 32,990 39,642 10
2020s 44,333 38,984 47,739 8

More work & labour data for Northern Africa

All data for Northern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment in Northern Africa?
Informal employment in Northern Africa was 47,739 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest informal employment recorded in Northern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 47,739 in 2027.
What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Northern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 27,728 in 2004.
How does Northern Africa rank for informal employment?
Northern Africa ranks 43rd out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is informal employment rising or falling in Northern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 28.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Northern Africa 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 Northern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-ilo-modelled-estimates/northern-africa/

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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.