Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in Western Africa

Western Africa: Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) was 78,299 in 2027. ▲ Rising

Latest (2027)
78,299
Change on year
up 3.2%
Rank
53rd
of 87 groups
All-time high
78,299
in 2027
All-time low
24,583
in 1990
Years of data
38
1990–2027

Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in Western Africa, 1990–2027

20.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k1990200820271990: 24.6k1991: 25.0k1992: 25.4k1993: 25.9k1994: 26.4k1995: 27.2k1996: 28.1k1997: 29.0k1998: 30.0k1999: 31.0k2000: 32.1k2001: 33.1k2002: 34.3k2003: 35.5k2004: 36.7k2005: 38.0k2006: 39.3k2007: 40.7k2008: 42.1k2009: 43.6k2010: 45.2k2011: 46.8k2012: 48.5k2013: 50.4k2014: 52.5k2015: 54.4k2016: 55.9k2017: 58.5k2018: 60.6k2019: 62.7k2020: 67.5k2021: 68.0k2022: 68.3k2023: 68.9k2024: 71.2k2025: 73.5k2026: 75.9k2027: 78.3k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Western Africa recorded 78,299 for persons outside the labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in 2027. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 33.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, persons outside the labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in Western Africa peaked at 78,299 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 24,583, in 1990.

Western Africa ranks 53rd of 87 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in Western Africa, year by year

Annual values for Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) in Western Africa, 1990 to 2027.
Year Value Change
1990 24,583
1991 24,964 +1.6%
1992 25,382 +1.7%
1993 25,949 +2.2%
1994 26,428 +1.8%
1995 27,162 +2.8%
1996 28,122 +3.5%
1997 29,047 +3.3%
1998 30,049 +3.4%
1999 30,997 +3.2%
2000 32,066 +3.4%
2001 33,142 +3.4%
2002 34,300 +3.5%
2003 35,537 +3.6%
2004 36,723 +3.3%
2005 38,039 +3.6%
2006 39,346 +3.4%
2007 40,691 +3.4%
2008 42,142 +3.6%
2009 43,583 +3.4%
2010 45,177 +3.7%
2011 46,776 +3.5%
2012 48,455 +3.6%
2013 50,385 +4.0%
2014 52,480 +4.2%
2015 54,367 +3.6%
2016 55,950 +2.9%
2017 58,493 +4.5%
2018 60,596 +3.6%
2019 62,741 +3.5%
2020 67,495 +7.6%
2021 67,987 +0.7%
2022 68,337 +0.5%
2023 68,895 +0.8%
2024 71,155 +3.3%
2025 73,503 +3.3%
2026 75,888 +3.2%
2027 78,299 +3.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 27,268 24,583 30,997 10
2000s 37,557 32,066 43,583 10
2010s 53,542 45,177 62,741 10
2020s 71,445 67,495 78,299 8

Countries ranked near Western Africa

  1. 50 Australia 7,698 compare
  2. 51 Somalia 7,448 compare
  3. 52 Peru 7,357 compare
  4. 53 Tanzania, United Republic of 7,078 compare
  5. 54 Côte d'Ivoire 6,814 compare
  6. 55 Cameroon 6,613 compare
  7. 56 Chile 6,361 compare

See the full ranking of 276 places →

More work & labour data for Western Africa

All data for Western Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is persons outside the labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in Western Africa?
Persons outside the labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in Western Africa was 78,299 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest persons outside the labour force (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in Western Africa?
The highest recorded value was 78,299 in 2027.
What is the lowest persons outside the labour force (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in Western Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 24,583 in 1990.
How does Western Africa rank for persons outside the labour force (ilo modelled estimates)?
Western Africa ranks 53rd out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is persons outside the labour force (ilo modelled estimates) rising or falling in Western Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 33.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Western Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in Western Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/persons-outside-the-labour-force-ilo-modelled-estimates-15/western-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/persons-outside-the-labour-force-ilo-modelled-estimates-15/western-africa/">Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in Western Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Persons outside the 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. Persons outside the labour force comprise all persons of working age who, during the specified reference period, were not in the labour force (that is, were not employed or unemployed). For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.