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Statistical Briefs

Domestic Workers in the World: A Statistical Profile

By , , on April 10, 2022


Globally, there are almost 76 million domestic workers, and 76 per cent of them are women.

This Statistical Brief, prepared jointly by WIEGO and the ILO, used data from 155 countries and territories to examine domestic work worldwide. Globally, domestic work is 4 per cent of women’s employment and 1 per cent of men’s. The overwhelming majority (62.2 million, or 82 per cent) of the world’s domestic workers are in developing and emerging countries, while 13.4 million domestic workers are in developed countries. Further, among domestic workers, 87 per cent of men and 79 per cent of women are informal.

The brief also examines the types of work, the hours worked, education levels and earnings among other factors.

Available in Spanish and French.

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Citation Information

Bonnet, Florence, Carré, Françoise, and Vanek, Joann. Domestic Workers in the World: A Statistical Profile. WIEGO Statistical Brief No. 32, , . WIEGO, 2022. https://www.wiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/WIEGO_Statistical_Brief_N32_DWs in the World.pdfBonnet, F., Carré, F., and Vanek, J. (2022). Domestic Workers in the World: A Statistical Profile. WIEGO Statistical Brief No. 32, , . https://www.wiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/WIEGO_Statistical_Brief_N32_DWs in the World.pdfBonnet, Florence, Carré, Françoise, and Vanek, Joann. "Domestic Workers in the World: A Statistical Profile." WIEGO Statistical Brief No. 32, WIEGO, 2022, .Bonnet Florence, Carré Françoise, and Vanek Joann. "Domestic Workers in the World: A Statistical Profile." WIEGO Statistical Brief No. 32 (2022). https://www.wiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/WIEGO_Statistical_Brief_N32_DWs in the World.pdfBonnet, F, Carré, F, and Vanek, J 2022, 'Domestic Workers in the World: A Statistical Profile', WIEGO Statistical Brief No. 32, , . https://www.wiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/WIEGO_Statistical_Brief_N32_DWs in the World.pdfFlorence Bonnet, Françoise Carré, and Joann Vanek, 'Domestic Workers in the World: A Statistical Profile' (2022) WIEGO Statistical Brief No. 32 Bonnet F., Carré F., and Vanek J. Domestic Workers in the World: A Statistical Profile. WIEGO Statistical Brief No. 32. 2022. https://www.wiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/WIEGO_Statistical_Brief_N32_DWs in the World.pdfBonnet, Florence, Carré, Françoise, and Vanek, Joann. Domestic Workers in the World: A Statistical Profile. WIEGO Statistical Brief No. 32. 2022. , . https://www.wiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/WIEGO_Statistical_Brief_N32_DWs in the World.pdf

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WIEGO is at the forefront of developing statistics and research to help audiences understand the informal economy. Our library includes over two decades-worth of informal economy research, policy analysis, statistics and documentation of organizing efforts.