Informal employment in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Informal employment was 464,322 in 2027. ▲ Rising
Informal employment in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2027, informal employment in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 464,322. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.7% on the previous year and up 33.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 464,322 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 259,184, in 2004.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 16th 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 Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 259,184 | — |
| 2005 | 266,291 | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 272,971 | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 279,566 | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 286,093 | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 292,535 | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 297,892 | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 305,935 | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 310,822 | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 321,712 | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 326,740 | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 334,002 | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 340,894 | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 347,787 | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 355,912 | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 364,410 | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 368,656 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 384,571 | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 401,470 | +4.4% |
| 2023 | 416,948 | +3.9% |
| 2024 | 428,882 | +2.9% |
| 2025 | 440,104 | +2.6% |
| 2026 | 452,156 | +2.7% |
| 2027 | 464,322 | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 276,107 | 259,184 | 292,535 | 6 |
| 2010s | 330,611 | 297,892 | 364,410 | 10 |
| 2020s | 419,639 | 368,656 | 464,322 | 8 |
More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 70.23 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 564,978 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 239,462 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 66.21 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.92 % change on previous year (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.04 % change on previous year (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 11,723 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 4,279 (2027)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 86.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 71.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Informal employment in Sub-Saharan Africa was 464,322 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 464,322 in 2027.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 259,184 in 2004.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for informal employment?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 16th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan 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.
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.