Informal employment in World excluding India and China
World excluding India and China: Informal employment was 1.21 million in 2027. ▲ Rising
Informal employment in World excluding India and China, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2027, informal employment in World excluding India and China stood at 1.21 million. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in World excluding India and China peaked at 1.21 million in 2027 and was at its lowest, 838,638, in 2004.
That places World excluding India and China 4th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Informal employment in World excluding India and China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 838,638 | — |
| 2005 | 849,617 | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 866,442 | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 882,170 | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 894,682 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 910,319 | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 927,668 | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 945,584 | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 957,553 | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 973,782 | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 986,128 | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 998,153 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 1.01 million | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 1.03 million | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 1.04 million | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.05 million | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 1.03 million | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 1.07 million | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 1.11 million | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 1.13 million | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 1.15 million | +1.8% |
| 2025 | 1.17 million | +1.8% |
| 2026 | 1.19 million | +1.6% |
| 2027 | 1.21 million | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 873,645 | 838,638 | 910,319 | 6 |
| 2010s | 991,676 | 927,668 | 1.05 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.13 million | 1.03 million | 1.21 million | 8 |
More work & labour data for World excluding India and China
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 2.45 million (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 1.57 million (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 60.91 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 57,634 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.75 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 57.83 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 34,130 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 1.24 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment (ILO modelled estimates) 2.27 million (2025)
- Employment 2.27 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in World excluding India and China?
- Informal employment in World excluding India and China was 1.21 million in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in World excluding India and China?
- The highest recorded value was 1.21 million in 2027.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in World excluding India and China?
- The lowest recorded value was 838,638 in 2004.
- How does World excluding India and China rank for informal employment?
- World excluding India and China ranks 4th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in World excluding India and China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World excluding India and China 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.