Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of workers in vulnerable employment was 66.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Nigeria, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Nigeria stood at 66.5%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Nigeria peaked at 75.3% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 66.5%, in 2025.
That places Nigeria 33rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 74.6% | 74.2% | 75.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 72.1% | 70.1% | 73.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.1% | 66.9% | 69.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.1% | 66.5% | 68.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More work & labour data for Nigeria
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 80.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 84.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 82.5% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 95.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 64.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 64.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 83.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of workers in vulnerable employment in Nigeria?
- Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Nigeria was 66.5% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 75.3% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.5% in 2025.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of workers in vulnerable employment?
- Nigeria ranks 33rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of workers in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers in vulnerable employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of employed population who are working as independent own-account workers (self-employed without staff), or contributing family workers (self-employed in a household business or farm).