Share of employment outside the formal sector in Bangladesh

Bangladesh: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 70.35 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
70.35
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
12th
of 81 countries
All-time high
80.58
in 2017
All-time low
69.92
in 2022
Years of data
6
2010–2024

Share of employment outside the formal sector in Bangladesh, 2010–2024

0204060802010201720242010: 80.42013: 76.12017: 80.62022: 69.92023: 70.12024: 70.3

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2024, share of employment outside the formal sector in Bangladesh stood at 70.35.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Bangladesh peaked at 80.58 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 69.92, in 2022.

Bangladesh ranks 12th of 81 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Share of employment outside the formal sector in Bangladesh, year by year

Annual values for Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Bangladesh, 2010 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2010 80.43
2013 76.06 -5.4%
2017 80.58 +5.9%
2022 69.92 -13.2%
2023 70.11 +0.3%
2024 70.35 +0.3%

Bangladesh compared with similar countries

  • Bangladesh's 70.35 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 77.06, 91% of the median. (14 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 79.02 76.06 80.58 3
2020s 70.12 69.92 70.35 3

Countries ranked near Bangladesh

  1. 9 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 77.89 compare
  2. 10 Senegal 77.65 compare
  3. 11 Zimbabwe 76.47 compare
  4. 13 Egypt 67.85 compare
  5. 14 Myanmar 67.3 compare
  6. 15 Guatemala 67.15 compare

See the full ranking of 81 places →

More work & labour data for Bangladesh

All data for Bangladesh →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Bangladesh?
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Bangladesh was 70.35 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Bangladesh?
The highest recorded value was 80.58 in 2017.
What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Bangladesh?
The lowest recorded value was 69.92 in 2022.
How does Bangladesh rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
Bangladesh ranks 12th out of 81 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Bangladesh?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of employment outside the formal sector in Bangladesh. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-employment-outside-the-formal-sector-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/bangladesh/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
81 places, 1,202 data points, 1999–2026
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. This harmonized series for employment outside the formal sector is derived using the same set of criteria across countries to improve comparability. The criteria used are based on employment status, institutional sector, destination of production, bookkeeping, registration, social security contribution, places of work and size. 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 Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.