Share of employment outside the formal sector in Botswana

Botswana: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 47.46 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
47.46
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
28th
of 81 countries
All-time high
47.46
in 2024
All-time low
41.56
in 2021
Years of data
7
2006–2024

Share of employment outside the formal sector in Botswana, 2006–2024

010203040502006201520242006: 43.62019: 43.82020: 472021: 41.62022: 45.12023: 46.82024: 47.5

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Botswana recorded 47.46 for share of employment outside the formal sector in 2024. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 8.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Botswana peaked at 47.46 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 41.56, in 2021.

That places Botswana 28th out of 81 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Annual values for Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Botswana, 2006 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2006 43.6
2019 43.85 +0.6%
2020 47.02 +7.2%
2021 41.56 -11.6%
2022 45.13 +8.6%
2023 46.79 +3.7%
2024 47.46 +1.4%

Botswana compared with similar countries

  • Botswana's 47.46 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 46.77, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
  • Botswana's 47.46 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 77.06, 62% of the median. (12 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 43.6 43.6 43.6 1
2010s 43.85 43.85 43.85 1
2020s 45.59 41.56 47.46 5

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 25 Argentina 51.57 compare
  2. 26 Dominican Republic 48.63 compare
  3. 27 Mexico 47.78 compare
  4. 29 Colombia 46.78 compare
  5. 30 Thailand 46.77 compare
  6. 31 Panama 45.01 compare

See the full ranking of 81 places →

More work & labour data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Botswana?
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Botswana was 47.46 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 47.46 in 2024.
What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 41.56 in 2021.
How does Botswana rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
Botswana ranks 28th out of 81 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Botswana 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 Botswana. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-employment-outside-the-formal-sector-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/botswana/

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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.