Employers, female (% of female employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Employers, female (% of female employment) was 3.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employers, female (% of female employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 3.9% for employers, female (% of female employment) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, female (% of female employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 3.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 1991.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 4th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employers, female (% of female employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.9% | — |
| 1992 | 3.0% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 3.0% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 3.1% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 3.1% | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 3.2% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 3.2% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 3.2% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 3.2% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 3.2% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 3.2% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 3.1% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 3.1% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 3.1% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3.1% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 3.1% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 3.2% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 3.4% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 3.7% | +9.8% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 3.8% | +4.3% |
| 2024 | 3.9% | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 3.9% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.1% | 2.9% | 3.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 1 Timor-Leste 15.6% compare
- 2 Djibouti 14.6% compare
- 3 Azerbaijan 13.1% compare
- 4 Nigeria 10.4% compare
- 5 Sao Tome and Principe 8.6% compare
- 6 Tonga 8.4% compare
- 7 Uzbekistan 8.3% 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 employers, female (% of female employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Employers, female (% of female employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa was 3.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, female (% of female employment) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 3.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employers, female (% of female employment) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 1991.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for employers, female (% of female employment)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employers, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Employers, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Employers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs" i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced), and, in this capacity, have engaged, on a continuous basis, one or more persons to work for them as employee(s).