Employment Rate in Nigeria increased to 76.10 percent in the second quarter of 2024 from 73.20 percent in the first quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - Nigeria Employment Rate- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Nigeria unemployment rate for 2023 was 3.07%, a 0.75% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Nigeria unemployment rate for 2022 was <strong>3.83%</strong>, a <strong>1.57% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Nigeria unemployment rate for 2021 was <strong>5.39%</strong>, a <strong>0.32% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Nigeria unemployment rate for 2020 was <strong>5.71%</strong>, a <strong>0.51% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.

Unemployment Rate in Nigeria decreased to 4.30 percent in the second quarter of 2024 from 5.30 percent in the first quarter of 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Nigeria Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for Youth Unemployment Rate for Nigeria (SLUEM1524ZSNGA) from 1991 to 2024 about Nigeria, 15 to 24 years, unemployment, and rate.

The unemployment rate in Nigeria decreased to 2.99 percent compared to the previous year. Therefore, 2024 marks the lowest unemployment rate during the observed period. The unemployment rate refers to the share of the workforce that is currently not working but is actively searching for work. It does not include the economically inactive population, such as the long-term unemployed, those aged under 15 years, or retired persons.Find more key insights for the unemployment rate in countries like Niger and Benin.

Stopa bezrobocia wśród młodzieży w Nigerii spadła do 6,50 procent w drugim kwartale 2024 roku z 8,40 procent w pierwszym kwartale 2024 roku. Aktualne wartości, dane historyczne, prognozy, statystyki, wykresy i kalendarz ekonomiczny - Nigeria - Stopa Bezrobocia Młodzieży.

As of 2023, the State of Abia, registered the highest unemployment rate in Nigeria, at nearly 19 percent. This was followed by FCT and Rivers with rates reaching 13 percent and 14 prcent, respectively. In contrast, Lagos state achieved the lowest unemployment rate, at 5.5 percent.

Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) in Nigeria was reported at 4 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Unemployment, female - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

In the fourth of 2020, the unemployment rate in Nigeria reached 33.28 percent. Between 2015 and 2020, the unemployment rate grew. In particular, in 2017 the unemployment rate registered the fastest growth, increasing by about six percentage points during the year. However, this data were calculated according to the Nigerian methodology. Based on the most common international methodology, the unemployment rate in Nigeria stood at 17.5 percent. The NEW Nigeria methodology defines as unemployed labor force who did not work at all or worked for less than 20 hours a week. The international definition, instead, include people aged 15 years to 64 years old who were available for work, actively seeking work, but were unable to find work.

Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) in Nigeria was reported at 5.183 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Historical chart and dataset showing Nigeria youth unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

Nigeria NG: Unemployment Rate: % Change data was reported at 53.267 % in Sep 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 80.555 % for Jun 2016. Nigeria NG: Unemployment Rate: % Change data is updated quarterly, averaging 80.555 % from Mar 2016 (Median) to Sep 2016, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 93.154 % in Mar 2016 and a record low of 53.267 % in Sep 2016. Nigeria NG: Unemployment Rate: % Change data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Quarterly.

In 2023, while the employed male population in Nigeria was estimated at almost 40 million employees, female employees were projected to be slightly lower, at around 31.3 million. Total employment has generally increased since 2013. That year, male and female employees in the country amounted to approximately 27.6 million and 24.2 million, respectively.

Abstract

The Nigeria Labour Force Survey (NLFS) is a statistical survey designed to collect comprehensive data on employment, unemployment, and other characteristics of the population labour force. It provides quarterly estimates of the main labour force statistics with sufficient precision at the national level. This report contains findings from the Nigeria Labour Force Survey (NLFS) for the second quarter of 2024. The statistics are measured based on the labour force framework as guided by the international standard for labour market statistics for international comparability and the specific data requirements for the country.

The main objective of the NLFS is to collect basic statistics on the labour market situation in Nigeria and make labour statistics available to support government policies and programmes for effective planning, and for the private sector to support investment decision-making aimed at improving the employment situation in the country. The Labour Force Survey also serves as a tool for monitoring progress towards national goals and global commitments with an overarching goal of promotingthe welfare of the Nigerian population while ensuring the availability of labour market statistics to feed into the global sustainable development goals agenda. Labour is often one of the most important factors of production and is a major determinant of the economic system globally. Therefore, it is imperative to know whether people are working or not, how long they work, and the nature of the jobs they are engaged in.

The NLFS enables key labour market statistics and the employment situation to be monitored periodically in Nigeria. The indicators include the labour force participation rate, employment-to-population ratio, unemployment rate, time-related underemployment, self-employment, labour underutilisation, and other key job characteristics.

Geographic coverage

National Zone State Sector

Analysis unit

Individual

Universe

Household Members

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The target sample for the entire year is 35,520 households divided across 12 months, meaning the target sample for each quarter is 8,880 households. After small levels of non-response and replacement, the final sample for Q1 2024 is 8,836 households across the 36 states including the FCT.

Sampling deviation

No Deviations

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

A structured questionnaire was used for NLFS. A household questionnaire was administered in each household, which collected various information on Identification, Demographic Characteristics(inclusion of disability questions for 5 years or older), Education, Employed at work,Temporarily absence, Agricultural work and Market Orientation, Characteristics of main and secondary job, Unemployent and out of labour.Some of the questions were administered at household level while others were at individual level.

Cleaning operations

Real - Time data editing took place at different stages throughout the processing which includes: 1) Data editing and cleaning 2) Structure checking and completeness 3) Secondary editing 4) Structural checking of data files

Response rate

The household response rate is 100%.

Sampling error estimates

The margin of error of each quarter is 1% for national estimates.

Data appraisal

A series of data quality tables and graphs are available in the reports.

Unemployment with advanced education (% of total labor force with advanced education) in Nigeria was reported at 6.168 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Unemployment with advanced education (% of total unemployment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on May of 2025.

In 2023, the estimated youth unemployment rate in Nigeria was at almost 5.13 percent. According to the source, the data are estimates from the International Labour Organization, an agency of the United Nations developing policies to set labor standards. Employment in Nigeria The youth unemployment rate refers to the percentage of the unemployed in the age group of 15 to 24 years as compared to the total labor force. Youth unemployment rates are often higher than overall unemployment rates, which is true in Nigeria as well: the general rate of unemployment was approximately six percent in 2018. One reason for this contrast is that many of the youth under age 24 are studying full-time and are unavailable for work due to this. Education in Nigeria Nigeria’s population has a large percentage of young inhabitants, and there is a high demand for educational opportunities for its young populace. After severe cuts in governmental aid following a nationwide recession in 2016, Nigeria’s underfunded higher education system became the focus of ongoing student protests and strikes. Other families have taken a different approach: Nigeria is the top country of origin for international students from the continent of Africa. For example, Nigeria sent over 12,600 students to the U.S. in 2017/18, the most of any African country.

Nigeria NG: Unemployment Rate: YoY data was reported at 30.550 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 48.560 % for 2016. Nigeria NG: Unemployment Rate: YoY data is updated yearly, averaging 30.550 % from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2017, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 48.560 % in 2016 and a record low of 15.016 % in 2015. Nigeria NG: Unemployment Rate: YoY data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Annual.

Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Nigeria was reported at 17.88 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Employment in industry (% of total employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Nigeria: Unemployment rate forecast: The latest value from 2018 is 22.56 percent, an increase from 17.46 percent in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 7.85 percent, based on data from 112 countries. Historically, the average for Nigeria from 2010 to 2018 is 11.31 percent. The minimum value, 5.09 percent, was reached in 2010 while the maximum of 22.56 percent was recorded in 2018.

Nigeria Unemployment Rate: Female data was reported at 5.100 % in Jun 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6.200 % for Mar 2024. Nigeria Unemployment Rate: Female data is updated quarterly, averaging 6.000 % from Dec 2022 (Median) to Jun 2024, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.600 % in Dec 2022 and a record low of 5.000 % in Jun 2023. Nigeria Unemployment Rate: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.G003: Unemployment Rate: New Methodology.