SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in MENA
MENA: SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total was 52.64 in 2027. ▲ Rising
SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in MENA, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in MENA is 52.64, measured in 2027.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in MENA peaked at 53.21 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 48.36, in 2012.
MENA ranks 39th of 87 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total 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 |
Countries ranked near MENA
More work & labour data for MENA
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 230,676 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 185,145 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 44.52 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 2.46 % change on previous year (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 23,896 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 40.38 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 63,778 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2.49 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 9.31 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 1.83 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in MENA?
- Sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in MENA was 52.64 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in MENA?
- The highest recorded value was 53.21 in 2023.
- What is the lowest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in MENA?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.36 in 2012.
- How does MENA rank for sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total?
- MENA ranks 39th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total 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 SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). 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
Data may differ from nationally reported figures and the Global SDG Indicators Database due to differences in sources and/or reference years. This indicator conveys the share of informal employment in total employment. Employment comprises all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were either in paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work) or in self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). 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. 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 Market-related SDG Indicators (ILOSDG) database description.