Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) was 564,978 in 2027. β² Rising
Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1990β2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa is 564,978, measured in 2027. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 34.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 564,978 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 202,157, in 1990.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 20th 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 231,467 | 202,157 | 261,764 | 10 |
| 2000s | 305,412 | 269,145 | 342,556 | 10 |
| 2010s | 396,442 | 350,930 | 443,497 | 10 |
| 2020s | 508,277 | 449,710 | 564,978 | 8 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 70.23 (2027)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 75.6% (2025)
- 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)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 86.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa was 564,978 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour force (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 564,978 in 2027.
- What is the lowest labour force (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 202,157 in 1990.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for labour force (ilo modelled estimates)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 20th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is labour force (ilo modelled estimates) rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.3%. 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 (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).
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 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.