Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in Africa

Africa: Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) was 649,295 in 2027. β–² Rising

Latest (2027)
649,295
Change on year
up 2.8%
Rank
19th
of 87 groups
All-time high
649,295
in 2027
All-time low
242,161
in 1990
Years of data
38
1990–2027

Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in Africa, 1990–2027

0200.0k400.0k600.0k1990200820271990: 242.2k1991: 249.7k1992: 257.5k1993: 265.5k1994: 274.0k1995: 281.7k1996: 289.0k1997: 296.3k1998: 304.3k1999: 313.7k2000: 321.8k2001: 330.2k2002: 338.4k2003: 348.2k2004: 358.3k2005: 368.5k2006: 378.6k2007: 388.8k2008: 398.4k2009: 408.1k2010: 418.7k2011: 430.2k2012: 439.0k2013: 453.1k2014: 461.9k2015: 472.3k2016: 483.3k2017: 492.5k2018: 504.0k2019: 516.2k2020: 520.7k2021: 539.2k2022: 559.5k2023: 580.6k2024: 597.7k2025: 614.5k2026: 631.7k2027: 649.3k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in Africa is 649,295, measured in 2027. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 31.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in Africa peaked at 649,295 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 242,161, in 1990.

That places Africa 19th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 277,391 242,161 313,696 10
2000s 363,937 321,845 408,116 10
2010s 467,117 418,693 516,184 10
2020s 586,651 520,734 649,295 8

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 16 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 41,856 compare
  2. 17 Thailand 40,597 compare
  3. 18 TΓΌrkiye 38,497 compare
  4. 19 Egypt 37,658 compare
  5. 20 Tanzania, United Republic of 36,231 compare
  6. 21 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 35,770 compare
  7. 22 France 31,690 compare

See the full ranking of 276 places β†’

More work & labour data for Africa

All data for Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in Africa?
Labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in Africa was 649,295 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest labour force (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 649,295 in 2027.
What is the lowest labour force (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 242,161 in 1990.
How does Africa rank for labour force (ilo modelled estimates)?
Africa ranks 19th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is labour force (ilo modelled estimates) rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 31.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV Β· JSON β€” 38 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-force-ilo-modelled-estimates-15/africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-force-ilo-modelled-estimates-15/africa/">Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in Africa</a> β€” Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
276 places, 10,464 data points, 1990–2027
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 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.