Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in Africa

Africa: Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers was 67,168 in 2027. ▲ Rising

Latest (2027)
67,168
Change on year
up 2.7%
Rank
9th
of 87 groups
All-time high
67,168
in 2027
All-time low
38,590
in 2004
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in Africa, 2004–2027

020.0k40.0k60.0k2004201520272004: 38.6k2005: 38.9k2006: 39.2k2007: 40.1k2008: 40.7k2009: 42.0k2010: 43.5k2011: 44.7k2012: 45.7k2013: 46.0k2014: 47.6k2015: 49.6k2016: 51.4k2017: 52.0k2018: 53.9k2019: 55.7k2020: 61.7k2021: 59.6k2022: 59.9k2023: 59.6k2024: 61.6k2025: 63.7k2026: 65.4k2027: 67.2k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Africa recorded 67,168 for potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in 2027. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.7% on the previous year and up 29.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in Africa peaked at 67,168 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 38,590, in 2004.

That places Africa 9th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers (ILO modelled estimates) in Africa, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 38,590
2005 38,941 +0.9%
2006 39,194 +0.7%
2007 40,077 +2.3%
2008 40,687 +1.5%
2009 42,000 +3.2%
2010 43,472 +3.5%
2011 44,710 +2.8%
2012 45,668 +2.1%
2013 46,006 +0.7%
2014 47,572 +3.4%
2015 49,552 +4.2%
2016 51,358 +3.6%
2017 52,046 +1.3%
2018 53,946 +3.7%
2019 55,730 +3.3%
2020 61,738 +10.8%
2021 59,569 -3.5%
2022 59,946 +0.6%
2023 59,590 -0.6%
2024 61,585 +3.3%
2025 63,734 +3.5%
2026 65,421 +2.6%
2027 67,168 +2.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 39,915 38,590 42,000 6
2010s 49,006 43,472 55,730 10
2020s 62,344 59,569 67,168 8

More work & labour data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in Africa?
Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in Africa was 67,168 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 67,168 in 2027.
What is the lowest potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 38,590 in 2004.
How does Africa rank for potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers?
Africa ranks 9th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.1%. 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 Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/potential-labour-force-and-willing-non-jobseekers-ilo-modelled-estimates/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
87 places, 2,088 data points, 2004–2027
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 potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers includes those who have been recently searching for a job but are not available to work within a short reference period, those who have not searched recently for a job, but they are available to work within a short reference period, and finally those who do not fall in neither of the previous categories but that wanted employment. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.