Labour force participation in Nigeria
The ILO estimates that 82.5% of people aged 15 and over in Nigeria were in the labour force in 2025.
Nigeria, 2025
82.5%
Change from 2024
0percentage points
World, 2025
60.8%
Position in 2025
5th of 181
Labour force participation in Nigeria over time
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Nigeria
World
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The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of working-age population aged 15 and over. Source: ILO, ILOSTAT (ILO Modelled Estimates). Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years. Dashed lines are projections.
| Period | Nigeria | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 82.5% | 60.8% |
| 2024 | 82.6% | 61.0% |
| 2023 | 82.6% | 61.0% |
| 2022 | 81.3% | 60.7% |
| 2021 | 80.1% | 60.4% |
| 2020 | 79.3% | 59.7% |
| 2019 | 81.0% | 61.0% |
| 2018 | 81.0% | 61.2% |
| 2017 | 80.9% | 61.3% |
| 2016 | 80.8% | 61.5% |
Flags: f Projection . A dash means no value was published.
In short
- That is a change of 0 percentage points from 82.6% in 2024.
- Since 2015, when it was 80.8%, the figure has changed by +1.7 percentage points.
- Among the 181 countries with data for 2025, Nigeria has the 5th highest value.
- The figure for the world in 2025 was 60.8%.
More for Nigeria
All statistics for Nigeria
Women's labour force participation
80.7%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Employment-to-population ratio
80.0%
2025 · ILOSTAT
ILO estimate of the unemployment rate
3.1%
2025 · ILOSTAT
ILO estimate of youth unemployment
5.3%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Employment in agriculture
33.5%
2025 · World Bank
Employment in industry
17.0%
2025 · World Bank