Female entrepreneurs in informal sector fly solo: Story in five graphs

Women-owned informal enterprises are concentrated in industries such as tobacco, apparel and textiles, according to the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) 2025. Most operate as own-account enterprises without regular employees, indicating a largely self-run structure; only 6% are hired worker establishments (HWEs), which typically have greater scope to scale. Female-owned HWEs remain a key source of job creation, with nearly 72% employing at least one female hired worker.