Resilient Commerce: Informal Markets Around the World

Whether in lively outdoor markets, the tourism industry, or education systems, informal economies have become an essential component of developing economies around the world. Some estimates have found that 60 percent of the labor force in developing economies is employed in the informal sector. Floating street markets, food vendors, hawkers, and "black" taxis are all highly visible informal economic activities. This series of photographs from India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Macedonia, and Benin showcases human ingenuity in creating markets in countries all over the globe.

An entrance to the Old Delhi main bazaar located near the Masjid-i Jahan-Numa (World-Reflecting Mosque) in India. The marketplace is bustling with shopkeepers selling goods from saffron to fish. Tourists can be seen riding rickshaws through the crowded and noisy streets, while locals peruse the market's vast array of spices and other goods. (Cameron Thomas-Shah, M.A. 2013)

Tourists look on at a typical street market in Yangon, Myanmar. While most of these markets are informal or even technically illegal, they occur daily and serve as a primary source of fruit, vegetables, and meat for the average citizen. (Anne Gillman, M.A. 2014)

Vietnamese Hmong women, who are indigenous to the mountainous region of Sapa, sell fruit and rice cakes outside the famous Sapa Love Market. Scores of primarily women set up shops selling food and ethnic-style clothing, while girls as young as five years-old peddle to tourists to support their families. (Cameron Thomas-Shah, M.A. 2013)

An informal market pops up overnight along the Vardar River in Skopje, Macedonia, selling Tito era records, movies, and comic books. These markets are common, and operate similarly to garage sales, with local people offering their twenty year-old Yugoslav coins, military relics, and house wares for sale. For many Skopjian, who have experienced trouble finding work since the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, these informal markets are their sole sources of income. (Cameron Thomas-Shah, M.A. 2013)

Every year, thousands of devoted Buddhists travel to Bago and Kyiaktiyo, which is home to the Golden Rock, also called the "magic rock," a precariously balanced stone that is the second holiest Buddhist site in Myanmar. Pilgrims remain at the top of the mountain for anywhere from two to three days to more than a week. While the holy site is unregulated for local visitors, foreigners are required to pay an unofficial entrance fee. (Cristina Garafola, HNC 2012, M.A. 2013)

A mother and child offer bananas (chuoi) to the first of a legion of tourist boats traveling along the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. The Cai Be floating market provides an opportunity for famers to sell fruits, vegetables, and meats to local residents. (Cameron Thomas-Shah, M.A. 2013)

The temples of Bagan are one of the most popular tourist destinations in Myanmar. Foreigners are often required to pay unofficial fees to enter a consortium of the largest temples, and many Burmese continue to farm among the pagodas or hawk wares during sunset to earn their living. Preservationists have criticized efforts to restore the pagodas using modern materials and nontraditional architectural styles, and the city of Bagan was rejected from UNESCO's World Heritage Site classification because of flaws in restoration and tourism development initiatives. (Cristina Garafola, HNC 2012, M.A. 2013)

A local woman navigates Lake Nokouè, Ganvie, Benin, as she transports handmade crafts and clothing to sell on the "floating market of West Africa." Ganvie is considered the "Venice of Africa," as the entire village is situated on stilts. The local economy depends entirely upon fishing, handicrafts, African textiles sold to tourists...