Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) - Country Ranking - Africa

Definition: Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed. Employment is defined as persons of working age who, during a short reference period, were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period (i.e. who worked in a job for at least one hour) or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangements. Ages 15-24 are generally considered the youth population.

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in September 2019.

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

Find indicator:
Rank Country Value Year
1 Zimbabwe 68.40 2020
2 Tanzania 67.87 2020
3 Madagascar 66.29 2020
4 Ethiopia 63.45 2020
5 Niger 61.79 2020
6 Rwanda 61.24 2020
7 Mozambique 56.17 2020
8 Eritrea 54.05 2020
9 Malawi 53.28 2020
10 Cameroon 50.73 2020
11 Burundi 50.35 2020
12 Liberia 50.10 2020
13 Central African Republic 48.31 2020
14 Mali 48.14 2020
15 Burkina Faso 46.19 2020
16 Angola 45.49 2020
17 Uganda 45.14 2020
18 Guinea-Bissau 45.03 2020
19 Benin 39.67 2020
20 Zambia 39.01 2020
21 Ghana 38.98 2020
22 Guinea 37.68 2020
23 Kenya 36.10 2020
24 Chad 35.75 2020
25 The Gambia 31.75 2020
26 Dem. Rep. Congo 31.34 2020
27 Mauritius 27.94 2020
28 Côte d'Ivoire 27.42 2020
29 Senegal 24.85 2020
30 São Tomé and Principe 24.82 2020
31 Nigeria 24.49 2020
32 Lesotho 24.29 2020
33 Sierra Leone 23.66 2020
34 Togo 22.41 2020
35 Congo 22.26 2020
36 Equatorial Guinea 21.22 2020
37 Botswana 19.73 2020
38 Cabo Verde 18.79 2020
39 Morocco 18.33 2020
40 Tunisia 17.21 2020
41 Namibia 17.04 2020
42 Mauritania 16.85 2020
43 Sudan 16.16 2020
44 Egypt 15.77 2020
45 Algeria 15.15 2020
46 Eswatini 10.90 2020
47 Comoros 10.39 2020
48 Somalia 10.28 2020
49 Gabon 10.24 2020
50 South Africa 8.39 2020
51 Libya 7.65 2020
52 Djibouti 2.46 2020

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Development Relevance: Four targets were added to the UN Millennium Declaration at the 2005 World Summit High-Level Plenary Meeting of the 60th Session of the UN General Assembly. One was full and productive employment and decent work for all, which is seen as the main route for people to escape poverty. Employment to population ratio is a key measure to monitor whether a country is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. And it continues to be a priority in the Sustainable Development Goal of promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Limitations and Exceptions: Data on employment by status are drawn from labor force surveys and household surveys, supplemented by official estimates and censuses for a small group of countries. The labor force survey is the most comprehensive source for internationally comparable employment, but there are still some limitations for comparing data across countries and over time even within a country. Comparability of employment ratios across countries is affected by variations in definitions of employment and population. The biggest difference results from the age range used to define labor force activity. The population base for employment ratios can also vary. Most countries use the resident, non-institutionalized population of working age living in private households, which excludes members of the armed forces and individuals residing in mental, penal, or other types of institutions. But some countries include members of the armed forces in the population base of their employment ratio while excluding them from employment data. The reference period of a census or survey is another important source of differences: in some countries data refer to people's status on the day of the census or survey or during a specific period before the inquiry date, while in others data are recorded without reference to any period. Employment ratios tend to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave. This indicator also has a gender bias because women who do not consider their work employment or who are not perceived as working tend to be undercounted. This bias has different effects across countries and reflects demographic, social, legal, and cultural trends and norms.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: The employment to population ratio indicates how efficiently an economy provides jobs for people who want to work. A high ratio means that a large proportion of the population is employed. But a lower employment to population ratio can be seen as a positive sign, especially for young people, if it is caused by an increase in their education. The series is part of the ILO estimates and is harmonized to ensure comparability across countries and over time by accounting for differences in data source, scope of coverage, methodology, and other country-specific factors. The estimates are based mainly on nationally representative labor force surveys, with other sources (population censuses and nationally reported estimates) used only when no survey data are available.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: National estimates are also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.