Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 22.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at 22.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 22.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 18.8%, in 1995.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 19.2% | — |
| 1992 | 19.1% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 19.1% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 18.9% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 18.8% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 18.9% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 19.0% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 19.1% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 19.2% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 19.4% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 19.4% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 19.6% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 19.7% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 19.9% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 20.0% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 20.2% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 20.5% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 20.8% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 20.9% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 21.0% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 21.2% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 21.4% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 21.7% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 22.0% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 22.3% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 22.4% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 22.6% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 22.7% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 22.7% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 21.8% | -4.2% |
| 2021 | 22.1% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 22.4% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 22.0% | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 22.2% | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 22.3% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.0% | 18.8% | 19.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 20.0% | 19.4% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.0% | 21.0% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.1% | 21.8% | 22.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 53.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 70.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 75.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 49.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 51.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 76.5% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 86.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 65.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 71.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 22.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 22.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.8% in 1995.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.