The United Nations labor organization on Tuesday reported that an estimated 66.5 million domestic workers globally lacked formal job protections in 2025.

The informal employment status affects more than four out of five domestic workers worldwide. The UN agency said this makes them more than twice as likely as other employees to lack effective labor and social protections, leaving them vulnerable to working anti-social hours on meager pay.

According to the report, domestic workers earned an average of 53.3% of the monthly wages of other employees. For those in informal employment, that figure dropped to 48.7%, and the wage gap has widened since 2019.

More than one-third of domestic workers worked at least 49 hours a week, and nearly 15% worked 60 hours or more. The report also found domestic workers were more likely than other employees to work short hours for little pay, which can reflect underemployment and having to move between multiple households to make a living.

Women accounted for 77.2% of the global domestic workforce and were heavily concentrated in cleaning and care roles.

The total number of domestic workers reached an estimated 80 million in 2025, up from 75.6 million in 2019. The sector’s share of total global employment remained stable at about 2.2%.

About half of all domestic workers are located in Asia and the Pacific. Africa experienced the largest increase since 2019, adding 4.2 million workers to the sector.

Informal employment is nearly universal for domestic workers in the Arab States and stands at 93.3% in Africa. Europe and Central Asia have the lowest regional rate of informality, though more than one in three domestic workers there are still paid informally.

Despite the high rates of informality, more than half of the countries with comparable data have reduced informal employment among domestic workers since 2019. A total of 40 countries have ratified International Labour Organization Convention No. 189, which establishes standards for decent work in the sector.

International Labour Organization Director Sahra Razavi, briefing journalists in Geneva on Tuesday, said ratification rates remain particularly low in Asia and the Arab States.

“Domestic work is work, and domestic workers deserve the same rights and the same protections as other workers,” Razavi said.