Employment in Africa
Africa: Employment was 575,857 in 2025. β² Rising
Latest (2025)
575,857
Change on year
up 2.8%
Rank
19th
of 87 groups
All-time high
575,857
in 2025
All-time low
297,491
in 2000
Years of data
26
2000β2025
Employment in Africa, 2000β2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, employment in Africa stood at 575,857. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 30.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in Africa peaked at 575,857 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 297,491, in 2000.
That places Africa 19th out of 87 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 339,094 | 297,491 | 382,202 | 10 |
| 2010s | 436,220 | 391,574 | 481,798 | 10 |
| 2020s | 531,162 | 483,507 | 575,857 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Africa
- 16 Thailand 39,625 compare
- 17 United Kingdom 34,120 compare
- 18 Egypt, Arab Republic of 32,678 compare
- 19 TΓΌrkiye 32,566 compare
- 20 Tanzania, United Republic of 31,035 compare
- 21 France 29,383 compare
- 22 Korea 28,881 compare
More work & labour data for Africa
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Total Population - Male 1.89 million 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Urban population 1.49 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Rural population 1.04 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Total Population - Female 1.93 million 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Total Population - Both sexes 3.81 million 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4458 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Urban population, annual growth rate 2.68 % change on previous year (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 32 - Employment by 11,538 Persons (2022)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 32 - Employment by 11,813 Persons (2022)
- Manufacturing employment as a proportion of total employment - 13th 7.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in Africa?
- Employment in Africa was 575,857 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 575,857 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 297,491 in 2000.
- How does Africa rank for employment?
- Africa ranks 19th out of 87 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 26 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).