Informal employment rate in Pakistan
Pakistan: Informal employment rate was 88.69 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Informal employment rate in Pakistan, 2009–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for informal employment rate in Pakistan is 88.69, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment rate in Pakistan peaked at 88.69 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 81.07, in 2009.
Pakistan ranks 6th of 81 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Informal employment rate in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 81.07 | — |
| 2010 | 81.28 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 82.5 | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 81.84 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 83.57 | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 82.72 | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 81.99 | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 82.4 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 84.34 | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 88.69 | +5.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 81.07 | 81.07 | 81.07 | 1 |
| 2010s | 82.33 | 81.28 | 83.57 | 7 |
| 2020s | 86.51 | 84.34 | 88.69 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More work & labour data for Pakistan
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1692 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1658 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.1724 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.4553 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.11 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 160,228 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 146,712 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 259,090 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 251,911 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 511,001 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment rate in Pakistan?
- Informal employment rate in Pakistan was 88.69 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment rate recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 88.69 in 2025.
- What is the lowest informal employment rate recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 81.07 in 2009.
- How does Pakistan rank for informal employment rate?
- Pakistan ranks 6th out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is informal employment rate rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Informal employment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. This harmonized series for informal employment is derived using the same set of criteria across countries to improve comparability. The criteria used are based on employment status, institutional sector, destination of production, bookkeeping, registration, social security contribution, places of work and size. Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.