Labour force ages 25 to 54 in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Labour force ages 25 to 54 was 310,332 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Labour force ages 25 to 54 in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2004–2023
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 310,332 for labour force ages 25 to 54 in 2023. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 36.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force ages 25 to 54 in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 310,332 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 173,665, in 2004.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 22nd out of 93 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Labour force ages 25 to 54 in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 173,665 | — |
| 2005 | 179,231 | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 184,646 | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 190,266 | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 196,042 | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 201,783 | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 207,307 | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 214,028 | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 220,828 | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 227,948 | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 234,895 | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 242,584 | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 250,224 | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 257,713 | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 265,786 | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 274,134 | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 279,057 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 289,314 | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 300,762 | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 310,332 | +3.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 187,606 | 173,665 | 201,783 | 6 |
| 2010s | 239,545 | 207,307 | 274,134 | 10 |
| 2020s | 294,866 | 279,057 | 310,332 | 4 |
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)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 239,462 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.5 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.92 % change on previous year (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 4,279 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.04 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 66.21 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 11,723 (2027)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 49.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labour force ages 25 to 54 in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Labour force ages 25 to 54 in Sub-Saharan Africa was 310,332 in 2023, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour force ages 25 to 54 recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 310,332 in 2023.
- What is the lowest labour force ages 25 to 54 recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 173,665 in 2004.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for labour force ages 25 to 54?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 22nd out of 93 groups with data for 2023.
- Is labour force ages 25 to 54 rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.1%. 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 Labour force ages 25 to 54 (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
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 prime-age labour force participation rate is the labour force of persons aged 25 to 54 years divided by the population aged 25 to 54 years. The labour force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.