Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Southern Asia

Southern Asia: Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS was 85.6% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
85.6%
Change on year
down 0.1%
Rank
6th
of 36 groups
All-time high
89.3%
in 2004
All-time low
85.6%
in 2025
Years of data
22
2004–2025

Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Southern Asia, 2004–2025

0204060802004201420252004: 89.32005: 88.62006: 88.22007: 87.92008: 882009: 87.82010: 872011: 872012: 86.92013: 86.72014: 86.82015: 86.52016: 86.32017: 86.22018: 85.92019: 862020: 86.32021: 86.12022: 862023: 85.92024: 85.72025: 85.6

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

Southern Asia recorded 85.6% for proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls in Southern Asia peaked at 89.3% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 85.6%, in 2025.

That places Southern Asia 6th out of 36 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Southern Asia, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS (%) in Southern Asia, 2004 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2004 89.3%
2005 88.6% -0.8%
2006 88.2% -0.5%
2007 87.9% -0.3%
2008 88.0% +0.1%
2009 87.8% -0.2%
2010 87.0% -0.9%
2011 87.0% -0.0%
2012 86.9% -0.1%
2013 86.7% -0.1%
2014 86.8% +0.1%
2015 86.5% -0.4%
2016 86.3% -0.2%
2017 86.2% -0.2%
2018 85.9% -0.3%
2019 86.0% +0.1%
2020 86.3% +0.4%
2021 86.1% -0.3%
2022 86.0% -0.1%
2023 85.9% -0.1%
2024 85.7% -0.2%
2025 85.6% -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 88.3% 87.8% 89.3% 6
2010s 86.5% 85.9% 87.0% 10
2020s 85.9% 85.6% 86.3% 6

Countries ranked near Southern Asia

  1. 3 Mali 94.4% compare
  2. 4 Côte d'Ivoire 92.1% compare
  3. 4 Côte d'Ivoire 92.1% compare
  4. 6 Senegal 89.2% compare
  5. 7 Pakistan 88.7% compare
  6. 8 India 88.1% compare
  7. 9 Zimbabwe 85.0% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More work & labour data for Southern Asia

All data for Southern Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls in Southern Asia?
Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls in Southern Asia was 85.6% in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls recorded in Southern Asia?
The highest recorded value was 89.3% in 2004.
What is the lowest proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls recorded in Southern Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 85.6% in 2025.
How does Southern Asia rank for proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls?
Southern Asia ranks 6th out of 36 groups with data for 2025.
Is proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls rising or falling in Southern Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Southern Asia data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Southern Asia. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-informal-employment-by-sector-and-sex-13th-icls-percent/southern-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
128 places, 2,151 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed