Share of employment outside the formal sector in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 76.47 in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
76.47
Change on year
down 6.0%
World rank
11th
of 81 countries
All-time high
82.65
in 2019
All-time low
76.47
in 2024
Years of data
7
2011–2024

Share of employment outside the formal sector in Zimbabwe, 2011–2024

0204060802011201720242011: 77.12014: 78.52019: 82.72021: 82.52022: 81.12023: 81.32024: 76.5

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2024, share of employment outside the formal sector in Zimbabwe stood at 76.47. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.0% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Zimbabwe peaked at 82.65 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 76.47, in 2024.

That places Zimbabwe 11th out of 81 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Annual values for Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Zimbabwe, 2011 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2011 77.11
2014 78.55 +1.9%
2019 82.65 +5.2%
2021 82.47 -0.2%
2022 81.15 -1.6%
2023 81.35 +0.2%
2024 76.47 -6.0%

Zimbabwe compared with similar countries

  • Zimbabwe's 76.47 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 77.06, 99% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
  • Zimbabwe's 76.47 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 77.06, 99% of the median. (12 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 79.44 77.11 82.65 3
2020s 80.36 76.47 82.47 4

Countries ranked near Zimbabwe

  1. 8 Zambia 78.21 compare
  2. 9 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 77.89 compare
  3. 10 Senegal 77.65 compare
  4. 12 Bangladesh 70.35 compare
  5. 13 Egypt 67.85 compare
  6. 14 Myanmar 67.3 compare

See the full ranking of 81 places →

More work & labour data for Zimbabwe

All data for Zimbabwe →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Zimbabwe?
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Zimbabwe was 76.47 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Zimbabwe?
The highest recorded value was 82.65 in 2019.
What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Zimbabwe?
The lowest recorded value was 76.47 in 2024.
How does Zimbabwe rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
Zimbabwe ranks 11th out of 81 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Zimbabwe 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 Zimbabwe. 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/zimbabwe/

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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.