Informal employment in World
World: Informal employment was 2.12 million in 2027. ▲ Rising
Informal employment in World, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for informal employment in World is 2.12 million, measured in 2027. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in World peaked at 2.12 million in 2027 and was at its lowest, 1.68 million, in 2004.
That places World 1st 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, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 1.68 million | — |
| 2005 | 1.69 million | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 1.71 million | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 1.72 million | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 1.73 million | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 1.75 million | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 1.76 million | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 1.77 million | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 1.79 million | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 1.80 million | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 1.81 million | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.82 million | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 1.84 million | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 1.85 million | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 1.87 million | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 1.89 million | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 1.86 million | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 1.93 million | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 1.98 million | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 2.03 million | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 2.06 million | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 2.08 million | +1.2% |
| 2026 | 2.10 million | +1.0% |
| 2027 | 2.12 million | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.71 million | 1.68 million | 1.75 million | 6 |
| 2010s | 1.82 million | 1.76 million | 1.89 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.02 million | 1.86 million | 2.12 million | 8 |
More work & labour data for World
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.1226 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1316 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1143 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.688 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.1 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6.68 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 3.09 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5.10 million 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5.08 million 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 10.18 million 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in World?
- Informal employment in World was 2.12 million in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 2.12 million in 2027.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.68 million in 2004.
- How does World rank for informal employment?
- World ranks 1st out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.