Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income
Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income: Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) was 4.43 in 2027. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income, 1991–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income is 4.43, measured in 2027.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income peaked at 5.79 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.35, in 2024.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income 63rd out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.
Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.45 | — |
| 1992 | 5.56 | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 5.71 | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 5.68 | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 5.62 | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 5.5 | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 5.45 | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 5.42 | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 5.58 | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 5.59 | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 5.52 | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 5.35 | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 5.27 | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 5.16 | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 5.16 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 5.02 | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 4.95 | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 4.91 | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 5.01 | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 5.17 | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 5.15 | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 4.95 | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 4.71 | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 4.76 | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 4.99 | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 4.96 | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 5.12 | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 5.26 | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 5.36 | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 5.79 | +8.0% |
| 2021 | 5.65 | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 4.75 | -16.0% |
| 2023 | 4.36 | -8.2% |
| 2024 | 4.35 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 4.37 | +0.4% |
| 2026 | 4.4 | +0.6% |
| 2027 | 4.43 | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.55 | 5.42 | 5.71 | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.19 | 4.91 | 5.59 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.04 | 4.71 | 5.36 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.76 | 4.35 | 5.79 | 8 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income
More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 284,510 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 73.41 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 103,063 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 13,447 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.35 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 4,908 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 70.16 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.16 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.87 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment 257,043 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income?
- Unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income was 4.43 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 5.79 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.35 in 2024.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income rank for unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income ranks 63rd out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 37 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 unemployment rate conveys the number of persons who are unemployed as a percent of the labour force (i.e., the employed plus the unemployed). The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.