Share of workers in informal employment by country
Share of employed people working in jobs that lack basic social or legal protection and employment benefits. Does not include illegal and illicit activities. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.
What the numbers show
Share of workers in informal employment is currently reported for 82 countries. The highest value is 95.3% in Angola; the lowest is 0.6% in Malta.
The median across all reporting countries is 35.2%, and the mean is 39.0%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 151.
Over the past decade 25 countries rose and 56 fell. The largest increase was in Armenia (up 48.7%), and the largest decrease in Bulgaria (down 80.2%).
Share of workers in informal employment: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angola | 95.3% | 2024 | up 13.0% | rising |
| 2 | Uganda | 94.5% | 2021 | down 2.2% | flat |
| 3 | Mali | 94.4% | 2023 | down 0.8% | flat |
| 4 | Cote d'Ivoire | 92.1% | 2022 | down 2.9% | falling |
| 5 | Senegal | 89.2% | 2024 | down 2.5% | flat |
| 6 | Pakistan | 88.7% | 2025 | up 7.2% | rising |
| 7 | India | 88.1% | 2024 | down 2.1% | flat |
| 8 | Zimbabwe | 85.0% | 2024 | down 2.2% | flat |
| 9 | Rwanda | 84.3% | 2024 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 10 | Bangladesh | 84.0% | 2024 | down 5.9% | falling |
| 11 | Bolivia | 83.9% | 2024 | down 12.5% | rising |
| 12 | Zambia | 82.7% | 2024 | down 1.4% | flat |
| 13 | Honduras | 82.6% | 2017 | up 14.5% | rising |
| 14 | Indonesia | 81.0% | 2023 | down 5.3% | falling |
| 15 | Myanmar | 80.7% | 2020 | down 1.8% | flat |
| 16 | Armenia | 76.1% | 2017 | up 48.7% | rising |
| 17 | Guatemala | 75.9% | 2024 | down 2.7% | flat |
| 18 | Botswana | 75.6% | 2024 | up 6.5% | falling |
| 19 | Peru | 70.5% | 2025 | up 1.8% | falling |
| 20 | Egypt | 68.6% | 2024 | up 19.1% | rising |
| 21 | Ecuador | 68.5% | 2025 | up 17.6% | falling |
| 22 | Sri Lanka | 67.6% | 2023 | down 3.4% | falling |
| 23 | Vietnam | 67.0% | 2024 | down 12.8% | falling |
| 24 | Paraguay | 64.5% | 2025 | down 8.8% | falling |
| 25 | El Salvador | 64.0% | 2024 | down 7.7% | falling |
| 26 | Thailand | 63.2% | 2024 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 27 | Panama | 58.7% | 2024 | up 22.2% | flat |
| 28 | Kyrgyzstan | 57.5% | 2023 | up 4.1% | rising |
| 29 | Mexico | 56.4% | 2024 | down 3.9% | falling |
| 30 | Colombia | 56.0% | 2025 | down 11.4% | falling |
| 31 | Namibia | 55.6% | 2018 | up 8.0% | rising |
| 32 | Jordan | 55.1% | 2023 | up 23.3% | rising |
| 33 | Dominican Republic | 54.7% | 2024 | up 0.8% | falling |
| 34 | Jamaica | 54.6% | 2023 | down 5.2% | flat |
| 35 | Moldova | 52.2% | 2024 | down 11.7% | rising |
| 36 | Argentina | 51.6% | 2024 | up 8.7% | falling |
| 37 | Georgia | 51.5% | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 38 | Palestine | 48.8% | 2025 | down 12.6% | falling |
| 39 | Grenada | 48.0% | 2023 | down 2.3% | falling |
| 40 | Costa Rica | 36.1% | 2025 | down 14.1% | flat |
| 41 | Brazil | 35.6% | 2025 | down 11.9% | falling |
| 42 | South Africa | 34.8% | 2024 | up 8.4% | falling |
| 43 | Uruguay | 28.5% | 2024 | up 20.9% | falling |
| 44 | Saint Lucia | 28.3% | 2024 | down 11.4% | falling |
| 45 | Turkey | 27.7% | 2024 | down 23.7% | falling |
| 46 | Mongolia | 27.1% | 2024 | down 45.2% | falling |
| 47 | Chile | 26.4% | 2025 | down 32.4% | falling |
| 48 | Mauritius | 23.4% | 2024 | down 57.0% | falling |
| 49 | Brunei | 21.4% | 2024 | down 35.4% | falling |
| 50 | Russia | 19.3% | 2024 | up 4.4% | rising |
| 51 | Serbia | 17.8% | 2024 | down 23.0% | falling |
| 52 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 16.6% | 2024 | down 43.4% | falling |
| 53 | North Macedonia | 11.1% | 2024 | down 61.4% | falling |
| 54 | Poland | 8.6% | 2024 | down 39.3% | falling |
| 55 | United Kingdom | 6.5% | 2018 | down 39.8% | falling |
| 56 | Portugal | 4.7% | 2024 | down 34.3% | falling |
| 57 | Slovakia | 4.4% | 2024 | up 45.7% | rising |
| 58 | Greece | 3.6% | 2024 | down 44.1% | falling |
| 59 | Italy | 3.4% | 2024 | down 16.0% | rising |
| 60 | Lithuania | 3.2% | 2024 | down 11.6% | falling |
| 61 | France | 3.1% | 2024 | down 50.9% | falling |
| 62 | Sweden | 2.8% | 2024 | down 11.8% | falling |
| 63 | Denmark | 2.8% | 2019 | down 51.6% | volatile |
| 64 | Netherlands | 2.6% | 2024 | down 9.9% | falling |
| 65 | Estonia | 2.4% | 2024 | unchanged | rising |
| 66 | Czechia | 2.3% | 2024 | down 0.4% | rising |
| 67 | Spain | 2.2% | 2024 | down 52.6% | falling |
| 68 | Finland | 2.2% | 2024 | up 5.8% | rising |
| 69 | Latvia | 2.2% | 2024 | down 25.4% | falling |
| 70 | Iceland | 2.0% | 2020 | up 3.1% | falling |
| 71 | Luxembourg | 1.9% | 2024 | up 14.2% | rising |
| 72 | Ireland | 1.9% | 2024 | down 48.4% | falling |
| 73 | Cyprus | 1.7% | 2024 | down 53.7% | falling |
| 74 | Switzerland | 1.5% | 2024 | up 4.2% | falling |
| 75 | Norway | 1.4% | 2024 | down 30.6% | falling |
| 76 | Belgium | 1.4% | 2024 | down 52.3% | falling |
| 77 | Austria | 1.3% | 2024 | up 8.2% | rising |
| 78 | Hungary | 1.3% | 2020 | down 18.6% | rising |
| 79 | Bulgaria | 1.2% | 2024 | down 80.2% | volatile |
| 80 | Croatia | 1.2% | 2024 | down 57.3% | falling |
| 81 | Slovenia | 0.7% | 2024 | down 65.2% | falling |
| 82 | Malta | 0.6% | 2020 | down 68.3% | falling |
About this data
Share of employed people working in jobs that lack basic social or legal protection and employment benefits. Does not include illegal and illicit activities. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.