Geneva:Fifteen years after the adoption of the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, new figures from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) indicate progress in reducing informality among domestic workers across various countries. Despite improvements, over four in five domestic workers globally continue to work informally, often lacking effective labor and social protections.
According to Wam, the ILO Statistical Brief titled "The State of Domestic Work in 2025 15 Years After Convention No. 189" estimates that 80 million individuals aged 15 and over are employed as domestic workers worldwide, an increase from 75.6 million in 2019. This sector accounts for 2.2% of total employment and 4.4% of all employees, suggesting that its growth mirrors broader employment trends rather than a specific rise in domestic work.
Informality in domestic work has either decreased or remained stable in 91 of 140 countries with comparable data from 2019 to 2025, representing nearly 70% of the global domestic workforce. However, in the remaining 49 countries, which comprise about 30% of domestic workers, informality has increased. Currently, 66.5 million domestic workers, or 83.1% of the global workforce, remain in informal employment, an increase of 5.1 million compared to 2019.
The report highlights that the figures are influenced by the concentration of domestic workers in regions where informality is high, rather than a general decline in working conditions. Asia and the Pacific host about half of the world's domestic workers, with Africa seeing the largest increase of 4.2 million workers between 2019 and 2025. Informality affects 93.3% of domestic workers in Africa and is nearly universal in the Arab States. Europe and Central Asia report the lowest regional informality rate, yet over one-third of workers remain informal. The Americas continue to be the most feminized region in terms of domestic work.
The ILO emphasizes the need for stronger efforts to implement Convention No. 189 and Recommendation No. 201 through strategies such as targeted formalization, accessible registration, social protection, effective minimum wages, working-time protection, investment in decent care jobs, skills recognition, compliance enforcement, and social dialogue.
As demographic changes, migration, and digital transformation reshape the labor market and increase care demands, ensuring decent work for domestic workers is vital for promoting gender equality, building sustainable care systems, and advancing social justice.