Informal employment rate in MENA
MENA: Informal employment rate was 52.64 in 2027. ▲ Rising
Informal employment rate in MENA, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
MENA recorded 52.64 for informal employment rate in 2027.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment rate in MENA peaked at 53.21 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 48.36, in 2012.
That places MENA 39th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Informal employment rate in MENA, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 50.62 | — |
| 2005 | 50.21 | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 49.94 | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 49.9 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 49.24 | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 49.14 | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 49.43 | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 49.27 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 48.36 | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 48.66 | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 48.88 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 48.81 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 49.43 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 49.96 | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 50.83 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 51.55 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 51.72 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 52.56 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 52.65 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 53.21 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 52.62 | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 52.67 | +0.1% |
| 2026 | 52.68 | +0.0% |
| 2027 | 52.64 | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 49.84 | 49.14 | 50.62 | 6 |
| 2010s | 49.52 | 48.36 | 51.55 | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.59 | 51.72 | 53.21 | 8 |
More work & labour data for MENA
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 230,676 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 44.52 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 185,145 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 63,778 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 23,896 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 1.83 % change on previous year (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 2.46 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2.49 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 40.38 (2027)
- Employment 161,568 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment rate in MENA?
- Informal employment rate in MENA was 52.64 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment rate recorded in MENA?
- The highest recorded value was 53.21 in 2023.
- What is the lowest informal employment rate recorded in MENA?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.36 in 2012.
- How does MENA rank for informal employment rate?
- MENA ranks 39th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is informal employment rate rising or falling in MENA?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this MENA 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.
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.