SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total was 87.18 in 2027. ▬ Flat
SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 87.18 for sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in 2027. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 91.31 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 87.18, in 2027.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 7th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the top 10%.
SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 91.31 | — |
| 2005 | 91.17 | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 90.95 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 90.73 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 90.49 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 90.44 | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 90.02 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 89.61 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 88.95 | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 88.75 | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 88.37 | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 88.22 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 87.87 | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 87.8 | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 87.56 | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 87.46 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 87.71 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 88.56 | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 88.33 | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 88.13 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 87.88 | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 87.57 | -0.4% |
| 2026 | 87.38 | -0.2% |
| 2027 | 87.18 | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 90.85 | 90.44 | 91.31 | 6 |
| 2010s | 88.46 | 87.46 | 90.02 | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.84 | 87.18 | 88.56 | 8 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 70.23 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 564,978 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 239,462 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 5.73 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.5 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.92 % change on previous year (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 11,723 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 66.21 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.04 % change on previous year (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 4,279 (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Sub-Saharan Africa was 87.18 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 91.31 in 2004.
- What is the lowest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 87.18 in 2027.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.