Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Tanzania
Tanzania: Share of workers in vulnerable employment was 83.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Tanzania, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Tanzania stood at 83.7%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Tanzania peaked at 91.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 83.7%, in 2025.
Tanzania ranks 8th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 91.0% | — |
| 1992 | 90.8% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 90.7% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 90.7% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 90.6% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 90.5% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 90.4% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 90.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 90.2% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 90.0% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 89.8% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 89.6% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 89.3% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 88.9% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 88.6% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 88.2% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 87.9% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 87.6% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 87.3% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 87.0% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 86.7% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 86.5% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 86.2% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 85.9% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 85.6% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 85.3% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 85.0% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 84.8% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 84.5% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 85.0% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 84.5% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 84.2% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 84.0% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 83.9% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 83.7% | -0.2% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 83.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 59.3%, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 83.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 67.6%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 90.6% | 90.2% | 91.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 88.7% | 87.3% | 90.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.7% | 84.5% | 87.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.2% | 83.7% | 85.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
- 5 Niger 83.7% compare
- 6 Mozambique 83.7% compare
- 7 Burundi 83.7% compare
- 9 Afghanistan 81.8% compare
- 10 Democratic Republic of Congo 81.5% compare
- 11 Burkina Faso 80.6% compare
More work & labour data for Tanzania
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 7,078 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 83.66 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 36,231 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 1.52 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.09 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 8,562 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 2,584 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 82.38 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.35 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 3.13 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of workers in vulnerable employment in Tanzania?
- Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Tanzania was 83.7% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 91.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 83.7% in 2025.
- How does Tanzania rank for share of workers in vulnerable employment?
- Tanzania ranks 8th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of workers in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tanzania data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers in vulnerable employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of employed population who are working as independent own-account workers (self-employed without staff), or contributing family workers (self-employed in a household business or farm).