Employment in industry, male (% of male employment) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Employment in industry, male (% of male employment) was 17.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in industry, male (% of male employment) in Nigeria, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 17.5% for employment in industry, male (% of male employment) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry, male (% of male employment) in Nigeria peaked at 17.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 9.6%, in 1999.
That places Nigeria 149th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry, male (% of male employment) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.0% | — |
| 1992 | 10.1% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 9.9% | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 9.7% | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 9.6% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 9.6% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 9.6% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 9.6% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 9.6% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 9.7% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 9.8% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 10.1% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 10.3% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 10.7% | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 10.9% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 11.0% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 11.3% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 11.5% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 11.8% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 12.3% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 12.6% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 13.6% | +7.8% |
| 2013 | 14.8% | +9.0% |
| 2014 | 15.1% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 15.1% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 14.8% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 14.8% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 14.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 14.8% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 15.6% | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 16.5% | +5.8% |
| 2022 | 17.0% | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 17.2% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 17.3% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 17.5% | +1.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 17.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.1%, 87% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 17.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.8%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.7% | 9.6% | 10.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 10.7% | 9.7% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.3% | 12.3% | 15.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.8% | 15.6% | 17.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More work & labour data for Nigeria
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0306 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0025 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0591 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.3624 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.71 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 287,130 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 123,508 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 237,227 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 239,521 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 476,748 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in industry, male (% of male employment) in Nigeria?
- Employment in industry, male (% of male employment) in Nigeria was 17.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry, male (% of male employment) recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 17.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment in industry, male (% of male employment) recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.6% in 1999.
- How does Nigeria rank for employment in industry, male (% of male employment)?
- Nigeria ranks 149th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in industry, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).