The International Labour Organisation’s latest study finds that more than 83 percent of domestic workers globally are still in informal employment, often lacking labour and social protection.

The data, presented in the report titled *The State of Domestic Work in 2025: 15 Years After Convention No. 189*, estimates that 66.5 million of the 80 million domestic workers worldwide were informally employed in 2025.

While informality fell or stayed steady in 91 of the 140 countries with comparable data, the absolute number of informal domestic workers rose by 5.1 million between 2019 and 2025.

Africa records the most severe situation, with 93.3 percent of domestic workers on the continent employed informally, and the region added 4.2 million workers over the same period.

Wages for domestic workers remain low; on average they earn 53.3 percent of the monthly wages of other employees, down from 56.4 percent in 2019, and informal workers earn only 48.7 percent of that benchmark.

Women dominate the sector, comprising 77.2 percent of domestic workers worldwide and earning an average of 48 percent of the wages of other employees, while men earn 65.8 percent.

Long working hours are common: 35.2 percent of domestic workers log at least 49 hours per week, with 14.6 percent working 60 hours or more.

The ILO urges governments to simplify registration for formal employment, enforce minimum‑wage standards, extend social protection, recognise skills and strengthen collective bargaining to improve pay and conditions.

Patrick Belser, chief of the ILO’s Informal Work Branch, stresses that despite progress in some countries, the persistence of over 66 million informal domestic workers and declining wages mean “much more needs to be done”.