Unemployment rate in Nigeria
Nigeria: Unemployment rate was 3.06 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate in Nigeria, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 3.06 for unemployment rate in 2025.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 25.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Nigeria peaked at 5.71 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.04, in 2024.
Nigeria ranks 143rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.83 | — |
| 1992 | 3.79 | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 4.02 | +6.1% |
| 1994 | 4.06 | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 4.15 | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 4.04 | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 3.96 | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 3.92 | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 3.99 | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 3.95 | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 3.9 | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 3.67 | -5.9% |
| 2003 | 3.64 | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 3.59 | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 3.73 | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 3.75 | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 3.79 | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 3.79 | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 3.76 | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 3.74 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 3.77 | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 3.76 | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 3.71 | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 3.9 | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 4.13 | +6.0% |
| 2016 | 4.5 | +8.8% |
| 2017 | 4.83 | +7.4% |
| 2018 | 5.07 | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 5.21 | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 5.71 | +9.8% |
| 2021 | 5.4 | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 3.83 | -29.2% |
| 2023 | 3.07 | -19.7% |
| 2024 | 3.04 | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 3.06 | +0.6% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 3.06 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.06, 61% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 3.06 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.45, 56% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -29.2% | 5.4 | 3.83 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.97 | 3.79 | 4.15 | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.76 | 3.59 | 3.95 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.26 | 3.71 | 5.21 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.02 | 3.04 | 5.71 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 140 Bhutan 3.23 compare
- 141 Slovenia 3.17 compare
- 142 Sierra Leone 3.15 compare
- 144 Myanmar 3.05 compare
- 145 Madagascar 3.04 compare
- 146 Saudi Arabia 3.04 compare
More work & labour data for Nigeria
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0306 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0025 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0591 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.3624 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.71 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 287,130 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 123,508 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 237,227 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 239,521 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 476,748 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Nigeria?
- Unemployment rate in Nigeria was 3.06 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 5.71 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.04 in 2024.
- How does Nigeria rank for unemployment rate?
- Nigeria ranks 143rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. 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).