Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) was 6.3% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 6.3% for unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 7.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 5.9%, in 2013.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 14th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.4% | — |
| 1992 | 6.5% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 6.6% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 6.5% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 6.4% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 6.4% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 6.4% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 6.5% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 6.6% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 6.6% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 6.5% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 6.5% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 6.4% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 6.3% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 6.2% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 6.2% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 6.1% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6.2% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 6.4% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 6.4% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 6.2% | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 5.9% | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 6.0% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 6.1% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 6.2% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 6.3% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 6.4% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 6.5% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 7.1% | +9.3% |
| 2021 | 7.6% | +6.7% |
| 2022 | 7.0% | -8.5% |
| 2023 | 6.5% | -6.7% |
| 2024 | 6.4% | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 6.3% | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.5% | 6.4% | 6.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.3% | 6.1% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 5.9% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.8% | 6.3% | 7.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.79 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.42 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9733 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1526 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 6.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 7.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.9% in 2013.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for unemployment, female (% of female labor force)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 14th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.