Côte d'Ivoire's economy has traditionally been heavily reliant on formal economic sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing. However, there is limited research focusing specifically on the informal sector contribution to GDP. An in-depth qualitative analysis was conducted, involving interviews with local business owners, community leaders, and government officials to gather data on informal sector activities and their contributions to GDP. The findings indicate that the informal economy contributed approximately 25% to Côte d'Ivoire's GDP during the study period, highlighting its significant role in the country’s economic landscape despite being underreported by official statistics. This research underscores the importance of recognising and measuring the contributions of the informal economy for a comprehensive understanding of Côte d'Ivoire's economic performance. The findings suggest that policy makers should consider supporting and regulating the growth of the informal sector to enhance overall economic stability and development. Future studies could explore long-term trends in this sector.