Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) was 84.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in Nigeria, 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 84.7% for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in Nigeria peaked at 91.2% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 84.1%, in 2020.
Nigeria ranks 25th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 90.0% | — |
| 1991 | 90.4% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 90.8% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 91.0% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 91.2% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 91.2% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 90.9% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 90.6% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 90.4% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 90.1% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 89.6% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 89.4% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 89.1% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 88.8% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 88.5% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 88.2% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 87.8% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 87.4% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 87.2% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 87.3% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 87.0% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 87.1% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 87.0% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 86.7% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 86.7% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 86.6% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 86.5% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 86.2% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 86.0% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 85.8% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 84.1% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 84.7% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 85.9% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 84.7% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 84.8% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 84.7% | -0.1% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 84.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 72.6%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 84.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 71.5%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 90.6% | 90.0% | 91.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 88.3% | 87.2% | 89.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.6% | 85.8% | 87.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.8% | 84.1% | 85.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More work & labour data for Nigeria
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0306 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0025 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0591 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.3624 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.71 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 287,130 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 123,508 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 237,227 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 239,521 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 476,748 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in Nigeria?
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in Nigeria was 84.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 91.2% in 1995.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.1% in 2020.
- How does Nigeria rank for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64)?
- Nigeria ranks 25th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15-64 that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.