Share of employment outside the formal sector in Egypt

Egypt: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 67.85 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
67.85
Change on year
down 3.9%
World rank
13th
of 81 countries
All-time high
70.57
in 2023
All-time low
54.11
in 2009
Years of data
11
2009–2024

Share of employment outside the formal sector in Egypt, 2009–2024

0204060802009201620242009: 54.12010: 56.12011: 57.42012: 54.92013: 56.62015: 592016: 61.12017: 62.82019: 63.12023: 70.62024: 67.8

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2024, share of employment outside the formal sector in Egypt stood at 67.85.

The figure is down 3.9% on the previous year and up 19.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Egypt peaked at 70.57 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 54.11, in 2009.

That places Egypt 13th out of 81 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Egypt, 2009 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2009 54.11
2010 56.13 +3.7%
2011 57.38 +2.2%
2012 54.89 -4.3%
2013 56.6 +3.1%
2015 58.97 +4.2%
2016 61.13 +3.7%
2017 62.83 +2.8%
2019 63.13 +0.5%
2023 70.57 +11.8%
2024 67.85 -3.9%

Egypt compared with similar countries

  • Egypt's 67.85 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 77.06, 88% of the median. (14 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 54.11 54.11 54.11 1
2010s 58.88 54.89 63.13 8
2020s 69.21 67.85 70.57 2

Countries ranked near Egypt

  1. 10 Senegal 77.65 compare
  2. 11 Zimbabwe 76.47 compare
  3. 12 Bangladesh 70.35 compare
  4. 14 Myanmar 67.3 compare
  5. 15 Guatemala 67.15 compare
  6. 16 Armenia 65.51 compare

See the full ranking of 81 places →

More work & labour data for Egypt

All data for Egypt →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Egypt?
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Egypt was 67.85 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Egypt?
The highest recorded value was 70.57 in 2023.
What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Egypt?
The lowest recorded value was 54.11 in 2009.
How does Egypt rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
Egypt ranks 13th out of 81 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Egypt?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Egypt 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 Egypt. 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/egypt-arab-rep/

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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.