Informal employment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income

Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income: Informal employment was 213,075 in 2027. ▲ Rising

Latest (2027)
213,075
Change on year
up 2.9%
Rank
27th
of 87 groups
All-time high
213,075
in 2027
All-time low
117,531
in 2004
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Informal employment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income, 2004–2027

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k2004201520272004: 117.5k2005: 121.1k2006: 124.1k2007: 127.0k2008: 129.9k2009: 133.4k2010: 136.2k2011: 141.0k2012: 142.4k2013: 148.3k2014: 149.8k2015: 152.6k2016: 155.3k2017: 158.2k2018: 162.5k2019: 166.9k2020: 169.9k2021: 176.4k2022: 183.8k2023: 189.9k2024: 195.6k2025: 201.2k2026: 207.1k2027: 213.1k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income recorded 213,075 for informal employment in 2027. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 34.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, informal employment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income peaked at 213,075 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 117,531, in 2004.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income ranks 27th 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 Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 117,531
2005 121,080 +3.0%
2006 124,062 +2.5%
2007 126,963 +2.3%
2008 129,871 +2.3%
2009 133,363 +2.7%
2010 136,249 +2.2%
2011 140,979 +3.5%
2012 142,365 +1.0%
2013 148,330 +4.2%
2014 149,792 +1.0%
2015 152,598 +1.9%
2016 155,269 +1.8%
2017 158,171 +1.9%
2018 162,470 +2.7%
2019 166,889 +2.7%
2020 169,893 +1.8%
2021 176,365 +3.8%
2022 183,794 +4.2%
2023 189,934 +3.3%
2024 195,643 +3.0%
2025 201,231 +2.9%
2026 207,132 +2.9%
2027 213,075 +2.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 125,478 117,531 133,363 6
2010s 151,311 136,249 166,889 10
2020s 192,133 169,893 213,075 8

More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income?
Informal employment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income was 213,075 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest informal employment recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income?
The highest recorded value was 213,075 in 2027.
What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income?
The lowest recorded value was 117,531 in 2004.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income rank for informal employment?
Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income ranks 27th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is informal employment rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income 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 Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-ilo-modelled-estimates/sub-saharan-africa-low-income/

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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.