Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Employment in industry (% of total employment) was 12.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 12.2% for employment in industry (% of total 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 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 12.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 10.3%, in 1999.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 41st out of 47 groups 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 (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.6% | — |
| 1992 | 10.6% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 10.5% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 10.4% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 10.3% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 10.4% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 10.4% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 10.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 10.3% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 10.3% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 10.4% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 10.4% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 10.4% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 10.5% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 10.5% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 10.6% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 10.6% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 10.7% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 10.7% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 10.7% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 10.8% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 11.1% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 11.3% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 11.3% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 11.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 11.1% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 11.2% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 11.3% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 11.2% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 11.3% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 11.4% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 11.9% | +4.5% |
| 2023 | 11.9% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 12.1% | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 12.2% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.4% | 10.3% | 10.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 10.5% | 10.3% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.1% | 10.7% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.8% | 11.3% | 12.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 49.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 75.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 70.3% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 86.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 53.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 65.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 71.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 76.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 51.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in industry (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 12.2% 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 12.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.3% in 1999.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for employment in industry (% of total employment)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry (% of total employment) rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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).