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 77 countries. The highest value is 95.4% in Mali; the lowest is 0.8% in Slovenia.
The median across all reporting countries is 37.4%, and the mean is 40.2%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 115.
Over the past decade 21 countries rose and 54 fell. The largest increase was in Slovakia (up 83.3%), and the largest decrease in Bulgaria (down 72.6%).
Share of workers in informal employment: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mali | 95.4% | 2022 | up 0.2% | flat |
| 2 | Uganda | 95.2% | 2021 | down 1.4% | flat |
| 3 | Senegal | 95.1% | 2022 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 4 | Angola | 92.2% | 2022 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 5 | Cote d'Ivoire | 92.1% | 2022 | down 2.8% | falling |
| 6 | India | 88.8% | 2023 | up 1.8% | flat |
| 7 | Zimbabwe | 88.1% | 2023 | up 0.8% | flat |
| 8 | Rwanda | 86.8% | 2023 | up 3.0% | flat |
| 9 | Bolivia | 84.5% | 2023 | up 5.0% | flat |
| 10 | Pakistan | 84.3% | 2021 | up 2.3% | flat |
| 11 | Zambia | 83.8% | 2023 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 12 | Guatemala | 83.2% | 2023 | up 3.3% | flat |
| 13 | Honduras | 82.6% | 2017 | up 14.5% | rising |
| 14 | Indonesia | 81.2% | 2023 | down 3.7% | flat |
| 15 | Myanmar | 81.0% | 2020 | down 1.9% | flat |
| 16 | Botswana | 76.1% | 2023 | — | rising |
| 17 | Peru | 71.7% | 2023 | up 2.7% | falling |
| 18 | Egypt | 71.3% | 2023 | up 23.8% | rising |
| 19 | Ecuador | 68.6% | 2024 | up 18.5% | falling |
| 20 | Vietnam | 67.7% | 2023 | down 14.9% | falling |
| 21 | Sri Lanka | 67.0% | 2022 | down 5.4% | falling |
| 22 | Paraguay | 66.8% | 2023 | down 6.5% | falling |
| 23 | El Salvador | 66.5% | 2023 | down 4.1% | flat |
| 24 | Thailand | 65.0% | 2018 | — | falling |
| 25 | Kyrgyzstan | 58.8% | 2022 | up 11.5% | rising |
| 26 | Mexico | 56.3% | 2023 | down 5.6% | falling |
| 27 | Colombia | 56.1% | 2024 | down 11.5% | falling |
| 28 | Panama | 56.1% | 2023 | up 17.3% | flat |
| 29 | Namibia | 55.8% | 2018 | up 2.9% | rising |
| 30 | Dominican Republic | 55.7% | 2023 | down 0.4% | falling |
| 31 | Jordan | 55.1% | 2023 | up 23.3% | rising |
| 32 | Jamaica | 54.6% | 2023 | down 5.2% | flat |
| 33 | Palestine | 53.9% | 2022 | down 4.2% | falling |
| 34 | Moldova | 52.2% | 2023 | down 8.6% | rising |
| 35 | Argentina | 50.5% | 2023 | up 5.0% | falling |
| 36 | Grenada | 48.0% | 2023 | down 2.3% | falling |
| 37 | Armenia | 47.9% | 2017 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 38 | Mongolia | 41.9% | 2023 | down 25.5% | falling |
| 39 | Costa Rica | 37.4% | 2024 | down 9.3% | flat |
| 40 | Brazil | 36.5% | 2024 | down 18.6% | falling |
| 41 | South Africa | 34.9% | 2024 | up 8.6% | falling |
| 42 | Mauritius | 33.9% | 2023 | down 34.2% | falling |
| 43 | Uruguay | 31.8% | 2023 | down 10.2% | falling |
| 44 | Saint Lucia | 30.2% | 2023 | down 1.2% | falling |
| 45 | Brunei | 28.5% | 2023 | down 14.9% | falling |
| 46 | Chile | 27.5% | 2024 | down 2.3% | flat |
| 47 | Turkey | 27.3% | 2023 | down 27.8% | falling |
| 48 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 19.7% | 2023 | down 37.6% | falling |
| 49 | Serbia | 17.8% | 2023 | down 21.8% | falling |
| 50 | Russia | 17.2% | 2023 | down 5.7% | rising |
| 51 | North Macedonia | 9.7% | 2023 | down 57.2% | falling |
| 52 | Poland | 7.7% | 2023 | down 44.7% | falling |
| 53 | United Kingdom | 6.5% | 2018 | down 39.8% | falling |
| 54 | Slovakia | 5.1% | 2023 | up 83.3% | rising |
| 55 | Portugal | 4.5% | 2023 | down 25.7% | falling |
| 56 | Greece | 4.1% | 2023 | down 29.3% | falling |
| 57 | Italy | 3.5% | 2023 | down 17.3% | rising |
| 59 | France | 3.4% | 2023 | down 45.1% | falling |
| 60 | Lithuania | 3.1% | 2023 | down 18.0% | falling |
| 61 | Sweden | 2.9% | 2023 | down 6.1% | falling |
| 62 | Denmark | 2.8% | 2019 | down 51.6% | volatile |
| 63 | Netherlands | 2.4% | 2023 | down 32.7% | falling |
| 64 | Latvia | 2.4% | 2023 | down 28.6% | falling |
| 65 | Estonia | 2.2% | 2023 | up 24.0% | rising |
| 66 | Finland | 2.1% | 2023 | down 5.3% | rising |
| 67 | Czechia | 2.0% | 2023 | down 11.4% | rising |
| 69 | Spain | 2.0% | 2023 | down 51.0% | falling |
| 70 | Cyprus | 1.8% | 2023 | down 43.0% | falling |
| 71 | Croatia | 1.4% | 2023 | down 62.1% | falling |
| 72 | Iceland | 1.4% | 2019 | down 32.4% | falling |
| 73 | Hungary | 1.3% | 2020 | down 18.6% | rising |
| 74 | Bulgaria | 1.2% | 2023 | down 72.6% | falling |
| 75 | Norway | 1.2% | 2023 | down 37.6% | falling |
| 76 | Belgium | 1.1% | 2023 | down 61.9% | falling |
| 77 | Austria | 1.0% | 2023 | down 55.1% | rising |
| 78 | Switzerland | 0.9% | 2022 | down 17.8% | falling |
| 79 | Slovenia | 0.8% | 2023 | down 61.2% | 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.