Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Employment in industry (% of total employment) was 17.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Nigeria, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in industry (% of total employment) in Nigeria is 17.0%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 22.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry (% of total employment) in Nigeria peaked at 17.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 1999.
That places Nigeria 116th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.1% | — |
| 1992 | 10.1% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 9.9% | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 9.6% | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 9.5% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 9.5% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 9.5% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 9.4% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 9.4% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 9.4% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 9.5% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 9.8% | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 10.0% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 10.3% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 10.4% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 10.6% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 10.7% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 11.0% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 11.3% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 11.7% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 12.0% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 12.8% | +6.8% |
| 2013 | 13.8% | +7.8% |
| 2014 | 14.0% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 13.9% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 13.6% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 13.4% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 13.4% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 13.3% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 14.5% | +8.6% |
| 2021 | 15.6% | +7.7% |
| 2022 | 16.8% | +7.9% |
| 2023 | 16.8% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 16.8% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 17.0% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.7% | 9.4% | 10.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 10.3% | 9.4% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.2% | 11.7% | 14.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.3% | 14.5% | 17.0% | 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 (% of total employment) in Nigeria?
- Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Nigeria was 17.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 17.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 1999.
- How does Nigeria rank for employment in industry (% of total employment)?
- Nigeria ranks 116th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry (% of total employment) rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.0%. 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 (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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).