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.

Compared with earlier readings it is 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.

Africa ranks 9th of 87 groups on this measure, 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 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) 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

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 6 Germany 2,890 compare
  2. 7 Italy 2,665 compare
  3. 8 United States of America 2,491 compare
  4. 9 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 2,180 compare
  5. 10 Guatemala 2,030 compare
  6. 11 France 1,862 compare
  7. 12 Chile 1,673 compare

See the full ranking of 157 places →

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 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). 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 25 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/potential-labour-force-and-willing-non-jobseekers-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
157 places, 3,300 data points, 1991–2027
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. 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 Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.