Countries With the Highest Informal Employment
Every country with a figure for informal employment, ranked from highest to lowest. The top three are Niger (98.5%), Burundi (98%) and Chad (96.9%). The middle country of the 142 has 56%.
What this measures
Share of employment that is informal, in % of employment. Source: International Labour Organization. For this measure, higher is worse.
Workers with no contract, no social protection or no registered employer, as the ILO (the UN's labour agency) makes them comparable across national labour force surveys. The World Bank's copy of this series was retired, so it comes from the UN's database for the Sustainable Development Goals.
This measure mostly follows how rich a country is, so this ranking is close to a ranking by national income. Each country’s page also ranks it against countries with similar incomes, which is often the fairer comparison.
The full ranking
Each country’s latest figure, from 2012–2025. The year beside each value says when it was measured.
| Rank | Country | Informal employment | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niger | 98.5% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 2 | Burundi | 98% | 2014 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 3 | Chad | 96.9% | 2018 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 4 | Benin | 96.3% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 5 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 96.3% | 2020 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 6 | Madagascar | 96.1% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 7 | Mozambique | 95.5% | 2015 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 8 | Angola | 95.3% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 9 | Guinea-Bissau | 94.8% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 10 | Uganda | 94.5% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 11 | Mali | 94.4% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 12 | Sudan | 94.2% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 13 | Burkina Faso | 93.8% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 14 | Nigeria | 93.1% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 15 | Sierra Leone | 93.1% | 2018 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 16 | Malawi | 92.7% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 17 | Togo | 92.3% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 18 | Cote d'Ivoire | 92.1% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 19 | Haiti | 91.6% | 2012 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 20 | Tanzania | 90.8% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 21 | Lao PDR | 90.5% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 22 | Cambodia | 89.4% | 2019 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 23 | Liberia | 89.3% | 2017 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 24 | Mauritania | 89.3% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 25 | Senegal | 89.2% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 26 | Lesotho | 89.1% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 27 | Comoros | 88.8% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 28 | Pakistan | 88.7% | 2025 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 29 | India | 88.1% | 2024 | South Asia |
| 30 | Cameroon | 87.1% | 2014 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 31 | Kenya | 86.5% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 32 | Afghanistan | 86.1% | 2021 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 33 | Zimbabwe | 85% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 34 | Rwanda | 84.3% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 35 | Bangladesh | 84% | 2024 | South Asia |
| 36 | Bolivia | 83.9% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 37 | Gambia, The | 83.9% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 38 | Zambia | 82.7% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 39 | Honduras | 82.6% | 2017 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 40 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 81.9% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 41 | Nicaragua | 81.8% | 2012 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 42 | Nepal | 81.5% | 2017 | South Asia |
| 43 | Indonesia | 81% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 44 | Myanmar | 80.7% | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 45 | Timor-Leste | 80.6% | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 46 | Ghana | 78% | 2015 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 47 | Ethiopia | 77.7% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 48 | Yemen, Rep. | 77.4% | 2014 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 49 | Armenia | 76.1% | 2017 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 50 | Guatemala | 75.9% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 51 | Botswana | 75.6% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 52 | Vanuatu | 72.4% | 2019 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 53 | Peru | 70.5% | 2025 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 54 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 68.6% | 2024 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 55 | Ecuador | 68.5% | 2025 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 56 | Iraq | 67.6% | 2021 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 57 | Sri Lanka | 67.6% | 2023 | South Asia |
| 58 | Viet Nam | 67% | 2024 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 59 | Paraguay | 64.5% | 2025 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 60 | El Salvador | 64% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 61 | Tajikistan | 63.6% | 2016 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 62 | Thailand | 63.2% | 2024 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 63 | Barbados | 61.8% | 2016 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 64 | Kiribati | 61.5% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 65 | Cabo Verde | 60.6% | 2015 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 66 | Tonga | 59.2% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 67 | Panama | 58.7% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 68 | Venezuela, RB | 58.3% | 2017 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 69 | Kyrgyz Republic | 57.5% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 70 | Mexico | 56.4% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 71 | Colombia | 56% | 2025 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 72 | Namibia | 55.6% | 2018 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 73 | Lebanon | 55.5% | 2019 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 74 | Jordan | 55.1% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 75 | Dominican Republic | 54.7% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 76 | Jamaica | 54.6% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 77 | Eswatini | 53.3% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 78 | Moldova | 52.2% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 79 | Argentina | 51.6% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 80 | Samoa | 51.5% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 81 | Georgia | 51.5% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 82 | Guyana | 51% | 2019 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 83 | Suriname | 50.9% | 2016 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 84 | West Bank and Gaza | 48.8% | 2025 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 85 | Grenada | 48% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 86 | Naoero | 47.9% | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 87 | Djibouti | 47.6% | 2017 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 88 | Maldives | 47.3% | 2019 | South Asia |
| 89 | Fiji | 45.7% | 2024 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 90 | Tunisia | 36.9% | 2019 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 91 | Costa Rica | 36.1% | 2025 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 92 | Brazil | 35.6% | 2025 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 93 | South Africa | 34.8% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 94 | Marshall Islands | 32.6% | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 95 | Korea, Rep. | 29.1% | 2019 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 96 | Uruguay | 28.5% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 97 | St. Lucia | 28.3% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 98 | Turkiye | 27.7% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 99 | Mongolia | 27.1% | 2024 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 100 | Chile | 26.4% | 2025 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 101 | Mauritius | 23.4% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 102 | Brunei Darussalam | 21.4% | 2024 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 103 | Tuvalu | 20.1% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 104 | Russian Federation | 19.3% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 105 | Bahamas, The | 18.3% | 2019 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 106 | Serbia | 17.8% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 107 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 16.6% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 108 | Seychelles | 14.2% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 109 | Antigua and Barbuda | 12.8% | 2018 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 110 | North Macedonia | 11.1% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 111 | Poland | 8.62% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 112 | Palau | 7.27% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 113 | United Kingdom | 6.51% | 2018 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 114 | Portugal | 4.73% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 115 | Slovak Republic | 4.37% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 116 | Greece | 3.58% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 117 | Italy | 3.42% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 118 | Lithuania | 3.2% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 119 | France | 3.15% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 120 | Sweden | 2.83% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 121 | Denmark | 2.82% | 2019 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 122 | Netherlands | 2.63% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 123 | Germany | 2.49% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 124 | Estonia | 2.4% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 125 | Czechia | 2.26% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 126 | Romania | 2.21% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 127 | Spain | 2.2% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 128 | Finland | 2.19% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 129 | Latvia | 2.17% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 130 | Iceland | 1.97% | 2020 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 131 | Luxembourg | 1.93% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 132 | Ireland | 1.9% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 133 | Cyprus | 1.68% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 134 | Switzerland | 1.48% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 135 | Norway | 1.43% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 136 | Belgium | 1.37% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 137 | Austria | 1.32% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 138 | Hungary | 1.31% | 2020 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 139 | Bulgaria | 1.2% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 140 | Croatia | 1.17% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 141 | Slovenia | 0.7% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 142 | Malta | 0.63% | 2020 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
More on informal employment
- Countries With the Lowest Informal Employment
- Informal employment by country: trend over time and what it goes with
Related rankings
- Countries With the Highest Active Labour Market Spending
- Countries With the Highest Unemployment Benefit Spending
- Countries With the Highest Retirement Age, Men
- Countries With the Highest Retirement Age, Women
- Countries With the Highest Hours Worked
- Countries With the Highest Unemployment
- Countries With the Highest Female Labor Participation
- Countries With the Highest Male Labor Participation
A ranking describes countries, not the people in them, and a high or low place does not by itself say why. All country rankings.