Labor force (15-64 years), female in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Labor force (15-64 years), female was 177.62 million in 2011. β² Rising
Labor force (15-64 years), female in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1990β2011
Source: International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 177.62 million for labor force (15-64 years), female in 2011. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 34.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force (15-64 years), female in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 177.62 million in 2011 and was at its lowest, 79.62 million, in 1990.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 93.13 million | 79.62 million | 107.22 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 147.72 million | 127.92 million | 167.89 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 175.11 million | 172.60 million | 177.62 million | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 1 Nigeria 23.65 million compare
- 2 Ethiopia 22.23 million compare
- 3 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 14.42 million compare
- 4 Tanzania, United Republic of 12.56 million compare
- 5 South Africa 9.29 million compare
More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 70.23 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 564,978 (2027)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 70.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 49.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 53.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 51.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.7% (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, male (% of male population ages 15+) 75.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force (15-64 years), female in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Labor force (15-64 years), female in Sub-Saharan Africa was 177.62 million in 2011, according to International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database.
- What is the highest labor force (15-64 years), female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 177.62 million in 2011.
- What is the lowest labor force (15-64 years), female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 79.62 million in 1990.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for labor force (15-64 years), female?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 2 groups with data for 2011.
- Is labor force (15-64 years), female rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.4%. 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, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database, published as part of Labor force (15-64 years), female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The labor force comprising people ages 15 to 64 who meet the International Labour Organization definition of the economically active population: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes both the employed and the unemployed. While national practices vary in the treatment of such groups as the armed forces and seasonal or part-time workers, in general the labor force includes the armed forces, the unemployed, and first-time job-seekers, but excludes homemakers and other unpaid caregivers and workers in the informal sector.