Informal employment in Zambia
Zambia: Informal employment was 92.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Informal employment in Zambia, 2017–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total agricultural employment.
Analysis
The most recent figure for informal employment in Zambia is 92.3%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 5.8% over ten years.
That places Zambia 10th out of 44 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
Informal employment in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of total agricultural employment | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 87.2% | — |
| 2018 | 88.9% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 80.6% | -9.3% |
| 2020 | 85.2% | +5.7% |
| 2021 | 87.9% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 89.8% | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 90.5% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 92.3% | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 85.6% | 80.6% | 88.9% | 3 |
| 2020s | 89.1% | 85.2% | 92.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More work & labour data for Zambia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5254 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.5224 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.7611 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.24 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 25,577 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 15,424 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 32,895 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 31,579 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 64,474 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in Zambia?
- Informal employment in Zambia was 92.3% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 92.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 80.6% in 2019.
- How does Zambia rank for informal employment?
- Zambia ranks 10th out of 44 countries with data for 2024.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 (% of total agricultural employment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
This indicator shows the share of workers at working age in informal employment in agricultural activities out of total employment in agricultural activities, expressed as a percentage. Informal employment comprises persons 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).