Informal employment, male in Zambia

Zambia: Informal employment, male was 53.9% in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
53.9%
Change on year
down 10.0%
World rank
7th
of 45 countries
All-time high
65.6%
in 2021
All-time low
53.9%
in 2024
Years of data
8
2017–2024

Informal employment, male in Zambia, 2017–2024

02040602017202020242017: 57.6 % of total male non-agricultural employment2018: 57 % of total male non-agricultural employment2019: 62.4 % of total male non-agricultural employment2020: 61.5 % of total male non-agricultural employment2021: 65.6 % of total male non-agricultural employment2022: 64.1 % of total male non-agricultural employment2023: 59.8 % of total male non-agricultural employment2024: 53.9 % of total male non-agricultural employment

Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total male non-agricultural employment.

Analysis

The most recent figure for informal employment, male in Zambia is 53.9%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.

The figure is down 10.0% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.

Zambia ranks 7th of 45 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Informal employment, male in Zambia, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment, male (% of total male non-agricultural employment) in Zambia, 2017 to 2024.
Year % of total male non-agricultural employment Change
2017 57.6%
2018 57.0% -1.2%
2019 62.4% +9.5%
2020 61.5% -1.3%
2021 65.6% +6.5%
2022 64.1% -2.2%
2023 59.8% -6.7%
2024 53.9% -10.0%

Zambia compared with similar countries

  • Zambia's 53.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70.0%, 77% of the median. (5 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 59.0% 57.0% 62.4% 3
2020s 61.0% 53.9% 65.6% 5

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 4 Zimbabwe 69.5% compare
  2. 5 Vietnam 56.3% compare
  3. 6 Jordan 54.7% compare
  4. 8 El Salvador 52.3% compare
  5. 9 Panama 50.7% compare
  6. 10 Costa Rica 34.6% compare

See the full ranking of 45 places →

More work & labour data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment, male in Zambia?
Informal employment, male in Zambia was 53.9% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest informal employment, male recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 65.6% in 2021.
What is the lowest informal employment, male recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 53.9% in 2024.
How does Zambia rank for informal employment, male?
Zambia ranks 7th out of 45 countries with data for 2024.
Is informal employment, male rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Zambia data come from?
The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Informal employment, male (% of total male non-agricultural employment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Informal employment, male in Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-male-percent-of-total-male-non-agricultural-employment/zambia/

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About this data

Indicator
Informal employment, male (% of total male non-agricultural employment)
Unit
% of total male non-agricultural employment
Source
Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
45 places, 426 data points, 2014–2025
Last refreshed

This indicator shows the share of workers at working age in informal employment in non-agricultural activities out of total employment in non-agricultural activities, expressed as a percentage. Informal employment comprises workers whose main or secondary jobs are informal. For own-account workers and employers, informality is determined by enterprise characteristics (unincorporated, market-based, and unregistered); for contributing family workers, it is determined by the absence of written contracts and lack of coverage under labor legislation; and for employees, it is determined by whether the employment relationship is not subject to national labor legislation, income taxation, or social protection. The data are based on the statistical standards adopted by the 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS).