Which has higher number of people employed, Nigeria or Sub-Saharan Africa?

Sub-Saharan Africa, at 321.11 million against 48.51 million in Nigeria as of 2011.

What is the difference in number of people employed between Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa?

272.60 million, with Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa?

21 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2011.

Where does this data come from?

International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database, published as Number of people employed. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Nigeria vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Number of people employed

Nigeria

48.51 million

in 2011

Sub-Saharan Africa

321.11 million

in 2011

Nigeria rank

1st

Sub-Saharan Africa rank

2nd

Number of people employed over time

Nigeria
Sub-Saharan Africa

How they compare

Sub-Saharan Africa currently reports 321.11 million against 48.51 million in Nigeria, a difference of 272.60 million.

That makes Sub-Saharan Africa's figure about 6.6 times Nigeria's.

Across all 21 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa has been ahead every year.

Nigeria ranks 1st and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd of 50 countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Nigeria	Sub-Saharan Africa	Difference	Ahead
1990s	32.74 million	203.47 million	170.73 million	Sub-Saharan Africa
2000s	40.91 million	267.56 million	226.65 million	Sub-Saharan Africa
2010s	47.81 million	316.49 million	268.68 million	Sub-Saharan Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of people employed, Nigeria or Sub-Saharan Africa?: Sub-Saharan Africa, at 321.11 million against 48.51 million in Nigeria as of 2011.
What is the difference in number of people employed between Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa?: 272.60 million, with Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa?: 21 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2011.
How do Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for number of people employed?: Nigeria ranks 1st and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd of 50 countries.
Where does this data come from?: International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database, published as Number of people employed. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Nigeria vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Number of people employed. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-people-employed/nigeria/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator: Number of people employed
Source: International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 56 places, 1,176 data points, 1991–2011
Last refreshed: 21 August 2026

Total employment shows the total number employed ages 15 and over.