Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income
Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income: Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) was 30.63 in 2027. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income, 1991–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income recorded 30.63 for unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) in 2027.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income peaked at 31.93 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 21.32, in 2007.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income 2nd out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 22.15 | — |
| 1992 | 22.52 | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 22.49 | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 22.29 | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 21.95 | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 21.76 | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 21.78 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 21.94 | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 22 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 21.84 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 21.8 | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 21.77 | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 21.92 | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 21.75 | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 21.62 | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 21.4 | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 21.32 | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 21.39 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 22.35 | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 23.4 | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 23.34 | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 23.41 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 23.27 | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 23.58 | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 23.85 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 25.08 | +5.1% |
| 2017 | 25.53 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 25.42 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 26.81 | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 27.59 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 31.93 | +15.7% |
| 2022 | 31.18 | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 30.12 | -3.4% |
| 2024 | 30.31 | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 30.44 | +0.4% |
| 2026 | 30.53 | +0.3% |
| 2027 | 30.63 | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.1 | 21.76 | 22.52 | 9 |
| 2000s | 21.72 | 21.32 | 22.35 | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.37 | 23.27 | 26.81 | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.34 | 27.59 | 31.93 | 8 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income
- 1 Eswatini 33.65 compare
- 2 South Africa 32.59 compare
- 3 Djibouti 26.05 compare
- 4 Botswana 24.77 compare
- 5 Palestine, State of 24.42 compare
More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 31,178 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 56.03 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 24,462 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 49,850 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2.48 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 20,574 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 38.87 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.33 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 1.28 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment 21,128 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income?
- Unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income was 30.63 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 31.93 in 2021.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.32 in 2007.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income rank for unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income ranks 2nd out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is unemployment rate (ilo modelled estimates) rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa: Upper-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.
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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.