A large share of the global informal workforce operates on city streets, on sidewalks, and in other public spaces. They sell everything from fresh produce to electronic equipment. Broadly defined, street vendors include all those selling goods or services in public spaces. While not all street vendors work without licences or legal protection, the majority do.

Most street vending businesses are one-person operations that use unpaid family labor on an as-needed basis. Some sell from covered stalls; others simply squat on the ground beside a basket or blanket displaying their merchandise. In the developing world, millions of poor people who cannot afford to buy from retail stores depend on the affordable goods that street vendors provide.

Find out more about the challenges of street vending and efforts to organize street vendors.

Download the pdf: Street Vendors (pdf 128 KB)

Urban Story

StreetNet International:
Organizing Street Vendors

Impact: Street vendors regularly confront harassment from police as well as difficult and insecure working conditions. The ability of street vendors to improve their incomes and working conditions increases when they band together. 

Download the pdf: StreetNet International (pdf 96 KB)

Publications

Street Vendors in Asia: A Review Economic and Political Weekly, 28 May - 4 June.
Sharit K. Bhowmik, 2005

This document examines recent research done on street vendors in Asia.  Its aim is to assess the magnitude of street vending in different countries and the arrangement of vendors. The article also pulls together information on the extent of unionisation of the vendors and other organisations, such as: non-government organisations (NGOs), self-help organisations (SHOs), advocacy groups, and others that work for their welfare.

Download the pdf: Street Vendors in Asia : A Review (pdf 64 KB)

Street Trade in Latin America: Demographic Trends, Legal Issues, and Vending Organizations in Six Cities
Sally Roever, 2006

This document is a review of street vending issues in six major Latin American cities.  The paper explores demographic trends and working conditions among street traders, examines legal issues related to the governance of street trade, and compiles information on the extent of organization among street traders, with a focus on unions and other types of associations, and their strategies and effectiveness.

Download the pdf: Street Trade in Latin America (pdf 352 KB)