Female labor force by age in Nigeria

Nigeria: Female labor force by age was 2.22 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
2.22 million
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
6th
of 188 countries
All-time high
2.22 million
in 2024
All-time low
809,340
in 1990
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Female labor force by age in Nigeria, 1990–2024

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1990200720241990: 809.3k1991: 824.9k1992: 820.7k1993: 854.3k1994: 902.8k1995: 943.0k1996: 966.7k1997: 1.0M1998: 1.0M1999: 1.1M2000: 1.1M2001: 1.2M2002: 1.1M2003: 1.2M2004: 1.2M2005: 1.2M2006: 1.3M2007: 1.3M2008: 1.4M2009: 1.3M2010: 1.3M2011: 1.4M2012: 1.4M2013: 1.4M2014: 1.4M2015: 1.5M2016: 1.6M2017: 1.7M2018: 1.8M2019: 1.9M2020: 1.9M2021: 2.1M2022: 2.1M2023: 2.2M2024: 2.2M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2024, female labor force by age in Nigeria stood at 2.22 million. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 54.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, female labor force by age in Nigeria peaked at 2.22 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 809,340, in 1990.

That places Nigeria 6th out of 188 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Female labor force by age in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Female labor force by age in Nigeria, 1990 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1990 809,340 —
1991 824,857 +1.9%
1992 820,705 -0.5%
1993 854,278 +4.1%
1994 902,807 +5.7%
1995 942,955 +4.4%
1996 966,689 +2.5%
1997 1.00 million +3.9%
1998 1.04 million +3.7%
1999 1.09 million +4.7%
2000 1.13 million +3.5%
2001 1.16 million +2.7%
2002 1.14 million -1.3%
2003 1.16 million +1.8%
2004 1.18 million +1.6%
2005 1.22 million +2.9%
2006 1.27 million +4.6%
2007 1.33 million +4.3%
2008 1.36 million +2.6%
2009 1.32 million -2.7%
2010 1.34 million +1.4%
2011 1.37 million +1.7%
2012 1.40 million +2.6%
2013 1.42 million +1.2%
2014 1.44 million +1.3%
2015 1.49 million +3.7%
2016 1.58 million +6.3%
2017 1.68 million +6.4%
2018 1.78 million +5.5%
2019 1.87 million +5.3%
2020 1.89 million +0.8%
2021 2.05 million +8.7%
2022 2.08 million +1.5%
2023 2.18 million +5.0%
2024 2.22 million +1.7%

Nigeria compared with similar countries

  • Nigeria's 2.22 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 65,994, 33.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Nigeria's 2.22 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 79,623, 27.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 925,862 809,340 1.09 million 10
2000s 1.23 million 1.13 million 1.36 million 10
2010s 1.54 million 1.34 million 1.87 million 10
2020s 2.08 million 1.89 million 2.22 million 5

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 3 United States 5.45 million compare
  2. 4 Indonesia 4.26 million compare
  3. 5 Japan 4.00 million compare
  4. 7 South Korea 1.90 million compare
  5. 8 Vietnam 1.65 million compare
  6. 9 Brazil 1.24 million compare

See the full ranking of 195 places →

More work & labour data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is female labor force by age in Nigeria?
Female labor force by age in Nigeria was 2.22 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest female labor force by age recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 2.22 million in 2024.
What is the lowest female labor force by age recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 809,340 in 1990.
How does Nigeria rank for female labor force by age?
Nigeria ranks 6th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
Is female labor force by age rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 54.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Female labor force by age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Female labor force by age in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/female-labor-force-by-age/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Female labor force by age
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
195 places, 6,816 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed