Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) was 66.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 66.3% for employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 69.1% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 63.4%, in 2020.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 3rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 68.5% | — |
| 1992 | 68.6% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 68.6% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 68.8% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 69.0% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 69.1% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 69.1% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 69.0% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 68.8% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 68.8% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 68.8% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 68.8% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 68.8% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 68.8% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 68.8% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 68.7% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 68.6% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 68.4% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 68.0% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 67.6% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 67.6% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 67.2% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 67.6% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 67.0% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 66.5% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 66.2% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 65.6% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 65.2% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 64.8% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 63.4% | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 63.5% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 64.4% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 66.3% | +2.9% |
| 2024 | 66.4% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 66.3% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 68.8% | 68.5% | 69.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 68.7% | 68.0% | 68.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.5% | 64.8% | 67.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.0% | 63.4% | 66.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 1 Qatar 86.9% compare
- 2 Solomon Islands 83.1% compare
- 3 Madagascar 82.9% compare
- 4 Tanzania, United Republic of 82.4% compare
- 5 Cambodia 82.2% compare
- 6 Nigeria 80.0% compare
More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 239,462 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 70.23 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 564,978 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.5 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 5.73 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 11,723 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 4,279 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 66.21 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.04 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.92 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Sub-Saharan Africa was 66.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 69.1% in 1996.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.4% in 2020.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 3rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.