Informal employment rate in Southern Asia

Southern Asia: Informal employment rate was 84.72 in 2027. ▬ Flat

Latest (2027)
84.72
Change on year
down 0.5%
Rank
13th
of 87 groups
All-time high
89.33
in 2004
All-time low
84.72
in 2027
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Informal employment rate in Southern Asia, 2004–2027

0204060802004201520272004: 89.32005: 88.62006: 88.22007: 87.92008: 882009: 87.82010: 872011: 872012: 86.92013: 86.72014: 86.82015: 86.52016: 86.32017: 86.12018: 85.92019: 862020: 86.32021: 86.12022: 862023: 85.92024: 85.72025: 85.62026: 85.22027: 84.7

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for informal employment rate in Southern Asia is 84.72, measured in 2027. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, informal employment rate in Southern Asia peaked at 89.33 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 84.72, in 2027.

That places Southern Asia 13th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the top quarter.

Informal employment rate in Southern Asia, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment rate (ILO modelled estimates) in Southern Asia, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 89.33
2005 88.64 -0.8%
2006 88.21 -0.5%
2007 87.92 -0.3%
2008 88 +0.1%
2009 87.79 -0.2%
2010 87.03 -0.9%
2011 86.99 -0.0%
2012 86.86 -0.1%
2013 86.73 -0.2%
2014 86.78 +0.1%
2015 86.47 -0.3%
2016 86.28 -0.2%
2017 86.15 -0.2%
2018 85.92 -0.3%
2019 85.99 +0.1%
2020 86.3 +0.4%
2021 86.06 -0.3%
2022 85.95 -0.1%
2023 85.87 -0.1%
2024 85.7 -0.2%
2025 85.58 -0.1%
2026 85.17 -0.5%
2027 84.72 -0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 88.31 87.79 89.33 6
2010s 86.52 85.92 87.03 10
2020s 85.67 84.72 86.3 8

More work & labour data for Southern Asia

All data for Southern Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment rate in Southern Asia?
Informal employment rate in Southern Asia was 84.72 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest informal employment rate recorded in Southern Asia?
The highest recorded value was 89.33 in 2004.
What is the lowest informal employment rate recorded in Southern Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 84.72 in 2027.
How does Southern Asia rank for informal employment rate?
Southern Asia ranks 13th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is informal employment rate rising or falling in Southern Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Southern Asia 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 Southern Asia. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-rate-ilo-modelled-estimates/southern-asia/

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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.