Jobs gap in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: Jobs gap was 90,149 in 2027. ▲ Rising

Latest (2027)
90,149
Change on year
up 2.9%
Rank
12th
of 87 groups
All-time high
90,149
in 2027
All-time low
48,135
in 2004
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Jobs gap in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2004–2027

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k100.0k2004201520272004: 48.1k2005: 48.8k2006: 49.5k2007: 50.5k2008: 51.8k2009: 54.1k2010: 56.3k2011: 57.3k2012: 58.2k2013: 58.4k2014: 60.6k2015: 63.6k2016: 66.5k2017: 68.1k2018: 71.1k2019: 74.4k2020: 82.3k2021: 82.3k2022: 80.9k2023: 80.0k2024: 82.3k2025: 85.2k2026: 87.6k2027: 90.1k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 90,149 for jobs gap in 2027. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 32.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, jobs gap in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 90,149 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 48,135, in 2004.

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 12th of 87 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Jobs gap in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for Jobs gap (ILO modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 48,135
2005 48,767 +1.3%
2006 49,508 +1.5%
2007 50,505 +2.0%
2008 51,777 +2.5%
2009 54,105 +4.5%
2010 56,301 +4.1%
2011 57,346 +1.9%
2012 58,194 +1.5%
2013 58,440 +0.4%
2014 60,550 +3.6%
2015 63,574 +5.0%
2016 66,521 +4.6%
2017 68,150 +2.4%
2018 71,084 +4.3%
2019 74,362 +4.6%
2020 82,335 +10.7%
2021 82,327 -0.0%
2022 80,909 -1.7%
2023 79,983 -1.1%
2024 82,329 +2.9%
2025 85,202 +3.5%
2026 87,599 +2.8%
2027 90,149 +2.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 50,466 48,135 54,105 6
2010s 63,452 56,301 74,362 10
2020s 83,854 79,983 90,149 8

More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is jobs gap in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Jobs gap in Sub-Saharan Africa was 90,149 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest jobs gap recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 90,149 in 2027.
What is the lowest jobs gap recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 48,135 in 2004.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for jobs gap?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 12th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is jobs gap rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 32.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Jobs gap (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Jobs gap in Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/jobs-gap-ilo-modelled-estimates/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Jobs gap (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
87 places, 2,088 data points, 2004–2027
Last refreshed

Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. The jobs gap is defined as the sum of the unemployed, the potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.