Democratic Republic of Congo vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Labor force, total

Democratic Republic of Congo
39.22 million
in 2025
Sub-Saharan Africa
526.96 million
in 2025
Democratic Republic of Congo rank
17th
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
19th

Labor force, total over time

  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
0200.0M400.0M600.0M199020072025

How they compare

Sub-Saharan Africa currently reports 526.96 million against 39.22 million in Democratic Republic of Congo, a difference of 487.75 million.

That makes Sub-Saharan Africa's figure about 13.4 times Democratic Republic of Congo's.

Across all 36 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa has been ahead every year.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 17th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 19th of 186 countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Democratic Republic of Congo Sub-Saharan Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 17.13 million 237.91 million 220.77 million Sub-Saharan Africa
2000s 22.52 million 313.47 million 290.95 million Sub-Saharan Africa
2010s 28.40 million 406.08 million 377.67 million Sub-Saharan Africa
2020s 36.05 million 495.00 million 458.95 million Sub-Saharan Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher labor force, total, Democratic Republic of Congo or Sub-Saharan Africa?
Sub-Saharan Africa, at 526.96 million against 39.22 million in Democratic Republic of Congo as of 2025.
What is the difference in labor force, total between Democratic Republic of Congo and Sub-Saharan Africa?
487.75 million, with Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Democratic Republic of Congo and Sub-Saharan Africa?
36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
How do Democratic Republic of Congo and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for labor force, total?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 17th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 19th of 186 countries.
Where does this data come from?
International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as Labor force, total. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Labor force, total
Source
International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 8,410 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.