Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) - Country Ranking - Africa

Definition: Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.

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

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

Find indicator:
Rank Country Value Year
1 South Africa 31.84 2021
2 Djibouti 24.56 2021
3 Lesotho 24.46 2021
4 Eswatini 23.75 2021
5 Botswana 23.66 2021
6 Namibia 22.70 2021
7 Congo 21.35 2021
8 Somalia 17.10 2021
9 Gabon 16.86 2021
10 Cabo Verde 15.73 2021
11 Libya 15.55 2021
12 Sudan 14.63 2021
13 Tunisia 13.71 2021
14 Zambia 12.29 2021
15 São Tomé and Principe 12.13 2021
16 Mauritania 10.78 2021
17 Morocco 10.76 2021
18 Nigeria 10.56 2021
19 Algeria 10.44 2021
20 The Gambia 8.43 2021
21 Equatorial Guinea 8.42 2021
22 Angola 7.96 2021
23 Comoros 7.90 2021
24 Eritrea 7.09 2021
25 Mali 6.89 2021
26 Guinea 6.18 2021
27 Dem. Rep. Congo 6.05 2021
28 Sierra Leone 6.02 2021
29 Guinea-Bissau 5.93 2021
30 Egypt 5.91 2021
31 Central African Republic 5.77 2021
32 Kenya 5.40 2021
33 Malawi 5.23 2021
34 Mauritius 4.91 2021
35 Togo 4.85 2021
36 Liberia 4.74 2021
37 Burkina Faso 4.74 2021
38 Zimbabwe 4.63 2021
39 Ghana 4.48 2021
40 Mozambique 3.59 2021
41 Senegal 3.54 2021
42 Cameroon 3.33 2021
43 Côte d'Ivoire 3.00 2021
44 Ethiopia 2.82 2021
45 Madagascar 2.51 2021
46 Uganda 2.21 2021
47 Chad 2.20 2021
48 Burundi 2.18 2021
49 Tanzania 2.00 2021
50 Rwanda 1.45 2021
51 Benin 1.30 2021
52 Niger 0.82 2021

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Development Relevance: Paradoxically, low unemployment rates can disguise substantial poverty in a country, while high unemployment rates can occur in countries with a high level of economic development and low rates of poverty. In countries without unemployment or welfare benefits people eke out a living in vulnerable employment. In countries with well-developed safety nets workers can afford to wait for suitable or desirable jobs. But high and sustained unemployment indicates serious inefficiencies in resource allocation. Youth unemployment is an important policy issue for many economies. Young men and women today face increasing uncertainty in their hopes of undergoing a satisfactory transition in the labour market, and this uncertainty and disillusionment can, in turn, have damaging effects on individuals, communities, economies and society at large. Unemployed or underemployed youth are less able to contribute effectively to national development and have fewer opportunities to exercise their rights as citizens. They have less to spend as consumers, less to invest as savers and often have no "voice" to bring about change in their lives and communities. Widespread youth unemployment and underemployment also prevents companies and countries from innovating and developing competitive advantages based on human capital investment, thus undermining future prospects. Unemployment is a key measure to monitor whether a country is on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. [SDG Indicator 8.5.2]

Limitations and Exceptions: The criteria for people considered to be seeking work, and the treatment of people temporarily laid off or seeking work for the first time, vary across countries. In many cases it is especially difficult to measure employment and unemployment in agriculture. The timing of a survey can maximize the effects of seasonal unemployment in agriculture. And informal sector employment is difficult to quantify where informal activities are not tracked. There may be also persons not currently in the labour market who want to work but do not actively "seek" work because they view job opportunities as limited, or because they have restricted labour mobility, or face discrimination, or structural, social or cultural barriers. The exclusion of people who want to work but are not seeking work (often called the "hidden unemployed" or "discouraged workers") is a criterion that will affect the unemployment count of both women and men. However, women tend to be excluded from the count for various reasons. Women suffer more from discrimination and from structural, social, and cultural barriers that impede them from seeking work. Also, women are often responsible for the care of children and the elderly and for household affairs. They may not be available for work during the short reference period, as they need to make arrangements before starting work. Further, women are considered to be employed when they are working part-time or in temporary jobs, despite the instability of these jobs or their active search for more secure employment.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: The standard definition of unemployed persons is those individuals without work, seeking work in a recent past period, and currently available for work, including people who have lost their jobs or who have voluntarily left work. Persons who did not look for work but have an arrangements for a future job are also counted as unemployed. Some unemployment is unavoidable. At any time some workers are temporarily unemployed between jobs as employers look for the right workers and workers search for better jobs. It is the labour force or the economically active portion of the population that serves as the base for this indicator, not the total population. 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.