Contributing family workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Contributing family workers, total (% of total employment) was 17.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Contributing family workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for contributing family workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa is 17.1%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, contributing family workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 22.3% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 17.1%, in 2025.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 7th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Contributing family workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 21.8% | — |
| 1992 | 21.9% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 21.9% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 22.1% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 22.3% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 22.3% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 22.3% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 22.2% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 22.1% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 22.1% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 22.1% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 22.1% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 22.0% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 21.8% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 21.7% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 21.5% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 21.3% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 21.1% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 20.9% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 20.7% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 20.4% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 20.3% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 19.8% | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 19.4% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 19.0% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 18.8% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 18.4% | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 18.1% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 17.8% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 17.9% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 17.7% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 17.6% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 17.6% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 17.2% | -2.1% |
| 2025 | 17.1% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.1% | 21.8% | 22.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 21.7% | 20.9% | 22.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.3% | 17.8% | 20.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.5% | 17.1% | 17.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 4 Madagascar 39.9% compare
- 5 Burundi 37.4% compare
- 6 Azerbaijan 32.2% compare
- 7 Timor-Leste 32.1% compare
- 8 Bhutan 31.9% compare
- 9 Niger 30.0% compare
- 10 Ethiopia 29.6% compare
More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 70.23 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 564,978 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 239,462 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 5.73 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.92 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.5 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 11,723 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.04 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 66.21 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 4,279 (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is contributing family workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Contributing family workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa was 17.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest contributing family workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 22.3% in 1996.
- What is the lowest contributing family workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.1% in 2025.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for contributing family workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is contributing family workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Contributing family workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Contributing family workers are those workers who hold "self-employment jobs" as own-account workers in a market-oriented establishment operated by a related person living in the same household.