Potential labour force in Africa: Lower-middle income
Africa: Lower-middle income: Potential labour force was 23,619 in 2027. ▲ Rising
Potential labour force in Africa: Lower-middle income, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for potential labour force in Africa: Lower-middle income is 23,619, measured in 2027. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 30.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potential labour force in Africa: Lower-middle income peaked at 23,619 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 13,133, in 2004.
That places Africa: Lower-middle income 17th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Potential labour force in Africa: Lower-middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 13,133 | — |
| 2005 | 13,399 | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 13,392 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 13,419 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 13,615 | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 13,946 | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 14,218 | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 14,773 | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 15,029 | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 15,239 | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 15,926 | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 17,053 | +7.1% |
| 2016 | 17,941 | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 18,144 | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 19,046 | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 19,924 | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 22,275 | +11.8% |
| 2021 | 21,178 | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 22,021 | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 20,961 | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 21,763 | +3.8% |
| 2025 | 22,358 | +2.7% |
| 2026 | 22,979 | +2.8% |
| 2027 | 23,619 | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13,484 | 13,133 | 13,946 | 6 |
| 2010s | 16,729 | 14,218 | 19,924 | 10 |
| 2020s | 22,144 | 20,961 | 23,619 | 8 |
More work & labour data for Africa: Lower-middle income
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 339,672 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.36 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 172,199 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.69 % change on previous year (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 2.71 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) 66.36 (2027)
- NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training 33,216 (2027)
- NEET rate: Share of youth not in employment, education or training 20.43 (2027)
- Employment 306,061 (2025)
- Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers 33,069 (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is potential labour force in Africa: Lower-middle income?
- Potential labour force in Africa: Lower-middle income was 23,619 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest potential labour force recorded in Africa: Lower-middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 23,619 in 2027.
- What is the lowest potential labour force recorded in Africa: Lower-middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 13,133 in 2004.
- How does Africa: Lower-middle income rank for potential labour force?
- Africa: Lower-middle income ranks 17th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is potential labour force rising or falling in Africa: Lower-middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa: Lower-middle income data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of 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. The potential labour force refers to persons not in employment who express an interest in this form of work but for whom existing conditions limit their active job search and/or their availability. This group is used to calculate alternative measures of labour underutilization. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.