Nigeria vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Labor force (15-64 years), total

Nigeria
55.64 million
in 2011
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
390.13 million
in 2011
Nigeria rank
1st
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank
3rd

Labor force (15-64 years), total over time

  • Nigeria
  • Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
0100.0M200.0M300.0M400.0M199020002011

How they compare

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) currently reports 390.13 million against 55.64 million in Nigeria, a difference of 334.49 million.

That makes Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s figure about 7.0 times Nigeria's.

Across all 22 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) has been ahead every year.

Nigeria ranks 1st and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 3rd of 52 countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Nigeria Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) Difference Ahead
1990s 32.80 million 211.87 million 179.07 million Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
2000s 46.91 million 325.38 million 278.46 million Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
2010s 54.89 million 384.57 million 329.68 million Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher labor force (15-64 years), total, Nigeria or Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), at 390.13 million against 55.64 million in Nigeria as of 2011.
What is the difference in labor force (15-64 years), total between Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
334.49 million, with Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
22 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2011.
How do Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank globally for labor force (15-64 years), total?
Nigeria ranks 1st and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 3rd of 52 countries.
Where does this data come from?
International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database, published as Labor force (15-64 years), total. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Nigeria vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Labor force (15-64 years), total. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/labor-force-15-64-years-total/nigeria/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-high-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Labor force (15-64 years), total
Source
International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
58 places, 1,276 data points, 1990–2011
Last refreshed

The labor force comprising people ages 15 to 64 who meet the International Labour Organization definition of the economically active population: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes both the employed and the unemployed. While national practices vary in the treatment of such groups as the armed forces and seasonal or part-time workers, in general the labor force includes the armed forces, the unemployed, and first-time job-seekers, but excludes homemakers and other unpaid caregivers and workers in the informal sector.