Informal employment in Southern Asia
Southern Asia: Informal employment was 694,918 in 2027. ▲ Rising
Informal employment in Southern Asia, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2027, informal employment in Southern Asia stood at 694,918. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 22.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in Southern Asia peaked at 694,918 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 493,602, in 2004.
That places Southern Asia 10th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Informal employment in Southern Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 493,602 | — |
| 2005 | 500,266 | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 503,057 | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 506,466 | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 510,555 | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 514,445 | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 515,763 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 520,518 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 524,432 | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 532,839 | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 541,948 | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 549,382 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 557,317 | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 566,942 | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 572,919 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 587,583 | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 583,966 | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 608,525 | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 634,302 | +4.2% |
| 2023 | 656,881 | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 671,914 | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 681,151 | +1.4% |
| 2026 | 688,189 | +1.0% |
| 2027 | 694,918 | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 504,732 | 493,602 | 514,445 | 6 |
| 2010s | 546,964 | 515,763 | 587,583 | 10 |
| 2020s | 652,481 | 583,966 | 694,918 | 8 |
More work & labour data for Southern Asia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 2.49 million 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.48 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.02 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.3226 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.3261 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.3247 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 1.24 million 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1.10 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 1.28 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 1.25 million 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in Southern Asia?
- Informal employment in Southern Asia was 694,918 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in Southern Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 694,918 in 2027.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Southern Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 493,602 in 2004.
- How does Southern Asia rank for informal employment?
- Southern Asia ranks 10th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in Southern Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Southern 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.
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.