LU4: Composite rate of labour underutilization in Africa: Lower-middle income

Africa: Lower-middle income: LU4: Composite rate of labour underutilization was 18.76 in 2027. ▬ Flat

Latest (2027)
18.76
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
27th
of 87 groups
All-time high
21.73
in 2020
All-time low
18.61
in 2023
Years of data
23
2005–2027

LU4: Composite rate of labour underutilization in Africa: Lower-middle income, 2005–2027

051015202005201620272005: 19.52006: 19.12007: 18.82008: 18.72009: 192010: 19.12011: 19.82012: 19.82013: 19.62014: 19.72015: 20.22016: 20.32017: 20.32018: 20.32019: 20.22020: 21.72021: 20.82022: 19.72023: 18.62024: 18.72025: 18.72026: 18.72027: 18.8

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Africa: Lower-middle income recorded 18.76 for lu4: composite rate of labour underutilization in 2027.

That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lu4: composite rate of labour underutilization in Africa: Lower-middle income peaked at 21.73 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 18.61, in 2023.

That places Africa: Lower-middle income 27th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the middle of the range.

LU4: Composite rate of labour underutilization in Africa: Lower-middle income, year by year

Annual values for LU4: Composite rate of labour underutilization (ILO modelled estimates) in Africa: Lower-middle income, 2005 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2005 19.55
2006 19.11 -2.3%
2007 18.75 -1.9%
2008 18.73 -0.1%
2009 18.98 +1.3%
2010 19.13 +0.8%
2011 19.81 +3.6%
2012 19.75 -0.3%
2013 19.59 -0.8%
2014 19.75 +0.8%
2015 20.22 +2.4%
2016 20.27 +0.2%
2017 20.3 +0.1%
2018 20.29 -0.0%
2019 20.23 -0.3%
2020 21.73 +7.4%
2021 20.83 -4.1%
2022 19.7 -5.4%
2023 18.61 -5.5%
2024 18.68 +0.4%
2025 18.69 +0.1%
2026 18.72 +0.2%
2027 18.76 +0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 19.02 18.73 19.55 5
2010s 19.93 19.13 20.3 10
2020s 19.47 18.61 21.73 8

More work & labour data for Africa: Lower-middle income

All data for Africa: Lower-middle income →

Frequently asked questions

What is lu4: composite rate of labour underutilization in Africa: Lower-middle income?
Lu4: composite rate of labour underutilization in Africa: Lower-middle income was 18.76 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest lu4: composite rate of labour underutilization recorded in Africa: Lower-middle income?
The highest recorded value was 21.73 in 2020.
What is the lowest lu4: composite rate of labour underutilization recorded in Africa: Lower-middle income?
The lowest recorded value was 18.61 in 2023.
How does Africa: Lower-middle income rank for lu4: composite rate of labour underutilization?
Africa: Lower-middle income ranks 27th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is lu4: composite rate of labour underutilization rising or falling in Africa: Lower-middle income?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Africa: Lower-middle income data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of LU4: Composite rate of labour underutilization (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

LU4: Composite rate of labour underutilization in Africa: Lower-middle income. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/lu4-composite-rate-of-labour-underutilization-ilo-modelled-estimates/africa-lower-middle-income/

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/lu4-composite-rate-of-labour-underutilization-ilo-modelled-estimates/africa-lower-middle-income/">LU4: Composite rate of labour underutilization in Africa: Lower-middle income</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
LU4: Composite rate of labour underutilization (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
87 places, 2,001 data points, 2005–2027
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. LU4 represents the share of the extended labour force that are in unemployment, time-related underemployment or the potential labour force. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.