Labor force (15-64 years), male in Nigeria

Nigeria: Labor force (15-64 years), male was 31.99 million in 2011. ▲ Rising

Latest (2011)
31.99 million
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
1st
of 52 countries
All-time high
31.99 million
in 2011
All-time low
19.27 million
in 1990
Years of data
22
1990–2011

Labor force (15-64 years), male in Nigeria, 1990–2011

010.0M20.0M30.0M1990200020111990: 19.3M1991: 19.6M1992: 20.0M1993: 20.4M1994: 20.7M1995: 21.0M1996: 21.3M1997: 21.6M1998: 21.9M1999: 22.1M2000: 25.7M2001: 25.8M2002: 25.9M2003: 26.0M2004: 26.0M2005: 26.9M2006: 27.6M2007: 28.4M2008: 29.3M2009: 30.2M2010: 31.1M2011: 32.0M

Source: International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database.

Analysis

Nigeria recorded 31.99 million for labor force (15-64 years), male in 2011. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 23.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force (15-64 years), male in Nigeria peaked at 31.99 million in 2011 and was at its lowest, 19.27 million, in 1990.

Nigeria ranks 1st of 52 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Labor force (15-64 years), male in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Labor force (15-64 years), male in Nigeria, 1990 to 2011.
Year Value Change
1990 19.27 million —
1991 19.64 million +1.9%
1992 20.00 million +1.8%
1993 20.36 million +1.8%
1994 20.70 million +1.7%
1995 21.03 million +1.6%
1996 21.35 million +1.5%
1997 21.64 million +1.4%
1998 21.91 million +1.2%
1999 22.15 million +1.1%
2000 25.70 million +16.1%
2001 25.84 million +0.5%
2002 25.95 million +0.4%
2003 26.02 million +0.3%
2004 26.05 million +0.1%
2005 26.87 million +3.2%
2006 27.63 million +2.9%
2007 28.44 million +2.9%
2008 29.29 million +3.0%
2009 30.18 million +3.0%
2010 31.10 million +3.0%
2011 31.99 million +2.9%

Nigeria compared with similar countries

  • Nigeria's 31.99 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.31 million, 9.7× the median. (24 countries reporting)
  • Nigeria's 31.99 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.67 million, 12.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 20.80 million 19.27 million 22.15 million 10
2000s 27.20 million 25.70 million 30.18 million 10
2010s 31.54 million 31.10 million 31.99 million 2

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 2 Ethiopia 24.42 million compare
  2. 3 Egypt 24.21 million compare
  3. 4 Democratic Republic of Congo 14.73 million compare

See the full ranking of 58 places →

More work & labour data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force (15-64 years), male in Nigeria?
Labor force (15-64 years), male in Nigeria was 31.99 million in 2011, according to International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database.
What is the highest labor force (15-64 years), male recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 31.99 million in 2011.
What is the lowest labor force (15-64 years), male recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 19.27 million in 1990.
How does Nigeria rank for labor force (15-64 years), male?
Nigeria ranks 1st out of 52 countries with data for 2011.
Is labor force (15-64 years), male rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria 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), male. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Labor force (15-64 years), male in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database. Retrieved 12 November 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labor-force-15-64-years-male/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Labor force (15-64 years), male
Source
International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
58 places, 1,276 data points, 1990–2011
Last refreshed

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.