Informal employment in South-Eastern Asia

South-Eastern Asia: Informal employment was 245,788 in 2027. ▲ Rising

Latest (2027)
245,788
Change on year
up 0.6%
Rank
23rd
of 87 groups
All-time high
245,788
in 2027
All-time low
207,813
in 2005
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Informal employment in South-Eastern Asia, 2004–2027

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k2004201520272004: 209.2k2005: 207.8k2006: 212.5k2007: 216.2k2008: 219.6k2009: 223.4k2010: 226.0k2011: 229.6k2012: 231.2k2013: 232.3k2014: 233.1k2015: 231.5k2016: 230.9k2017: 230.5k2018: 230.4k2019: 230.0k2020: 226.7k2021: 228.2k2022: 234.4k2023: 238.7k2024: 240.3k2025: 242.5k2026: 244.2k2027: 245.8k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

South-Eastern Asia recorded 245,788 for informal employment in 2027. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, informal employment in South-Eastern Asia peaked at 245,788 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 207,813, in 2005.

South-Eastern Asia ranks 23rd 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 South-Eastern Asia, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates) in South-Eastern Asia, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 209,163
2005 207,813 -0.6%
2006 212,527 +2.3%
2007 216,226 +1.7%
2008 219,566 +1.5%
2009 223,378 +1.7%
2010 226,008 +1.2%
2011 229,579 +1.6%
2012 231,204 +0.7%
2013 232,281 +0.5%
2014 233,077 +0.3%
2015 231,503 -0.7%
2016 230,934 -0.2%
2017 230,483 -0.2%
2018 230,408 -0.0%
2019 230,025 -0.2%
2020 226,709 -1.4%
2021 228,235 +0.7%
2022 234,386 +2.7%
2023 238,709 +1.8%
2024 240,329 +0.7%
2025 242,465 +0.9%
2026 244,248 +0.7%
2027 245,788 +0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 214,779 207,813 223,378 6
2010s 230,550 226,008 233,077 10
2020s 237,609 226,709 245,788 8

More work & labour data for South-Eastern Asia

All data for South-Eastern Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment in South-Eastern Asia?
Informal employment in South-Eastern Asia was 245,788 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest informal employment recorded in South-Eastern Asia?
The highest recorded value was 245,788 in 2027.
What is the lowest informal employment recorded in South-Eastern Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 207,813 in 2005.
How does South-Eastern Asia rank for informal employment?
South-Eastern Asia ranks 23rd out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is informal employment rising or falling in South-Eastern Asia?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South-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 South-Eastern Asia. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-ilo-modelled-estimates/south-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.