Informal employment rate in Eastern Africa

Eastern Africa: Informal employment rate was 86.28 in 2027. ▼ Falling

Latest (2027)
86.28
Change on year
down 0.4%
Rank
8th
of 87 groups
All-time high
91.99
in 2004
All-time low
86.28
in 2027
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Informal employment rate in Eastern Africa, 2004–2027

0204060801002004201520272004: 922005: 91.82006: 91.42007: 90.92008: 90.52009: 90.22010: 89.62011: 89.32012: 88.72013: 88.42014: 882015: 87.72016: 87.52017: 87.42018: 87.32019: 87.32020: 87.42021: 88.22022: 88.22023: 87.82024: 87.32025: 86.92026: 86.62027: 86.3

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for informal employment rate in Eastern Africa is 86.28, measured in 2027. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, informal employment rate in Eastern Africa peaked at 91.99 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 86.28, in 2027.

That places Eastern Africa 8th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.

Informal employment rate in Eastern Africa, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment rate (ILO modelled estimates) in Eastern Africa, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 91.99
2005 91.76 -0.3%
2006 91.39 -0.4%
2007 90.91 -0.5%
2008 90.53 -0.4%
2009 90.24 -0.3%
2010 89.62 -0.7%
2011 89.3 -0.4%
2012 88.66 -0.7%
2013 88.36 -0.3%
2014 87.96 -0.5%
2015 87.73 -0.3%
2016 87.54 -0.2%
2017 87.39 -0.2%
2018 87.27 -0.1%
2019 87.28 +0.0%
2020 87.44 +0.2%
2021 88.23 +0.9%
2022 88.18 -0.1%
2023 87.77 -0.5%
2024 87.29 -0.5%
2025 86.9 -0.4%
2026 86.6 -0.3%
2027 86.28 -0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 91.14 90.24 91.99 6
2010s 88.11 87.27 89.62 10
2020s 87.34 86.28 88.23 8

More work & labour data for Eastern Africa

All data for Eastern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment rate in Eastern Africa?
Informal employment rate in Eastern Africa was 86.28 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest informal employment rate recorded in Eastern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 91.99 in 2004.
What is the lowest informal employment rate recorded in Eastern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 86.28 in 2027.
How does Eastern Africa rank for informal employment rate?
Eastern Africa ranks 8th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is informal employment rate rising or falling in Eastern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Eastern Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Informal employment rate (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Informal employment rate in Eastern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-rate-ilo-modelled-estimates/eastern-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Informal employment rate (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
87 places, 2,088 data points, 2004–2027
Last refreshed

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.