Informal employment in Botswana

Botswana: Informal employment was 69.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
69.5%
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
4th
of 45 countries
All-time high
71.1%
in 2023
All-time low
65.7%
in 2021
Years of data
6
2019–2024

Informal employment in Botswana, 2019–2024

0204060802019202120242019: 66.6 % of total non-agricultural employment2020: 67.9 % of total non-agricultural employment2021: 65.7 % of total non-agricultural employment2022: 69.3 % of total non-agricultural employment2023: 71.1 % of total non-agricultural employment2024: 69.5 % of total non-agricultural employment

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for informal employment in Botswana is 69.5%, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.

That places Botswana 4th out of 45 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

Informal employment in Botswana, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment (% of total non-agricultural employment) in Botswana, 2019 to 2024.
Year % of total non-agricultural employment Change
2019 66.6%
2020 67.9% +2.0%
2021 65.7% -3.3%
2022 69.3% +5.5%
2023 71.1% +2.6%
2024 69.5% -2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 66.6% 66.6% 66.6% 1
2020s 68.7% 65.7% 71.1% 5

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 1 Angola 89.9% compare
  2. 2 Rwanda 79.0% compare
  3. 3 Zimbabwe 69.8% compare
  4. 5 Zambia 59.8% compare
  5. 6 El Salvador 54.6% compare
  6. 7 Jordan 53.1% compare

See the full ranking of 45 places →

More work & labour data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment in Botswana?
Informal employment in Botswana was 69.5% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest informal employment recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 71.1% in 2023.
What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 65.7% in 2021.
How does Botswana rank for informal employment?
Botswana ranks 4th out of 45 countries with data for 2024.
Is informal employment rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Botswana data come from?
The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Informal employment (% of total non-agricultural employment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Informal employment in Botswana. Statizoid, drawing on Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-percent-of-total-non-agricultural-employment/botswana/

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About this data

Indicator
Informal employment (% of total non-agricultural employment)
Unit
% of total 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).