LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force was 11.51 in 2027. ▲ Rising
LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Sub-Saharan Africa is 11.51, measured in 2027.
That represents a change of down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 13.28 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.67, in 2013.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 27th of 87 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 11.18 | — |
| 2005 | 11 | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 10.86 | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 10.79 | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 10.78 | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 11.05 | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 11.31 | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 11.14 | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 11.05 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 10.67 | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 10.86 | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 11.18 | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 11.45 | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 11.6 | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 11.8 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 12.06 | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 13.28 | +10.1% |
| 2021 | 12.88 | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 12.11 | -5.9% |
| 2023 | 11.44 | -5.5% |
| 2024 | 11.48 | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 11.53 | +0.5% |
| 2026 | 11.51 | -0.2% |
| 2027 | 11.51 | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.94 | 10.78 | 11.18 | 6 |
| 2010s | 11.31 | 10.67 | 12.06 | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.97 | 11.44 | 13.28 | 8 |
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)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 5.73 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.92 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.5 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 11,723 (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 2015 US $ 4,279 (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Sub-Saharan Africa was 11.51 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 13.28 in 2020.
- What is the lowest lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.67 in 2013.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 27th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. 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 LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 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. LU3 represents the share of the extended labour force that are in unemployment or the potential labour force. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.