Unemployment Rate in Africa 2026
Labor-market outcomes differ sharply across Africa, with some economies reporting very high unemployment while others record comparatively low official rates. This page presents the latest African country rankings, regional map, comparison chart, and detailed data for examining employment conditions across the continent.
See Also:
Unemployment Rate in African Countries
| # | Country | Unemployment Rate | Global Rank | Continent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇸🇩Sudan |
61.3% | 1 | Africa |
| 2 | 🇨🇲Cameroon |
57% | 2 | Africa |
| 3 | 🇸🇿Eswatini |
34.4% | 3 | Africa |
| 4 | 🇿🇦South Africa |
32.5% | 4 | Africa |
| 5 | 🇩🇯Djibouti |
25.9% | 5 | Africa |
| 6 | 🇧🇼Botswana |
23.2% | 6 | Africa |
| 7 | 🇬🇦Gabon |
20.1% | 8 | Africa |
| 8 | 🇨🇬Congo |
19.7% | 9 | Africa |
| 9 | 🇳🇦Namibia |
19.2% | 10 | Africa |
| 10 | 🇸🇴Somalia |
18.9% | 11 | Africa |
| 11 | 🇱🇾Libya |
18.7% | 12 | Africa |
| 12 | 🇹🇳Tunisia |
16.3% | 15 | Africa |
| 13 | 🇱🇸Lesotho |
16.2% | 16 | Africa |
| 14 | 🇦🇴Angola |
14.5% | 19 | Africa |
| 15 | 🇲🇦Morocco |
12.2% | 26 | Africa |
| 16 | 🇷🇼Rwanda |
12% | 28 | Africa |
| 17 | 🇩🇿Algeria |
11.5% | 32 | Africa |
| 18 | 🇲🇷Mauritania |
10.4% | 37 | Africa |
| 19 | 🇸🇹Sao Tome and Principe |
9.2% | 44 | Africa |
| 20 | 🇿🇼Zimbabwe |
8.6% | 50 | Africa |
| 21 | 🇨🇻Cape Verde |
8.5% | 51 | Africa |
| 22 | 🇬🇶Equatorial Guinea |
7.9% | 56 | Africa |
| 23 | 🇪🇬Egypt |
7.4% | 57 | Africa |
| 24 | 🇬🇲Gambia |
6.5% | 69 | Africa |
| 25 | 🇿🇲Zambia |
6% | 77 | Africa |
| 26 | 🇲🇺Mauritius |
5.9% | 79 | Africa |
| 27 | 🇨🇫Central African Republic |
5.9% | 81 | Africa |
| 28 | 🇪🇷Eritrea |
5.6% | 85 | Africa |
| 29 | 🇰🇪Kenya |
5.5% | 87 | Africa |
| 30 | 🇬🇳Guinea |
5.3% | 92 | Africa |
| 31 | 🇧🇫Burkina Faso |
5.2% | 94 | Africa |
| 32 | 🇲🇼Malawi |
5.1% | 96 | Africa |
| 33 | 🇨🇩DR Congo |
4.6% | 112 | Africa |
| 34 | 🇰🇲Comoros |
3.9% | 132 | Africa |
| 35 | 🇲🇿Mozambique |
3.6% | 135 | Africa |
| 36 | 🇪🇹Ethiopia |
3.4% | 139 | Africa |
| 37 | 🇸🇱Sierra Leone |
3.2% | 143 | Africa |
| 38 | 🇬🇭Ghana |
3.1% | 145 | Africa |
| 39 | 🇲🇬Madagascar |
3.1% | 146 | Africa |
| 40 | 🇲🇱Mali |
3.1% | 147 | Africa |
| 41 | 🇳🇬Nigeria |
3% | 153 | Africa |
| 42 | 🇸🇳Senegal |
3% | 154 | Africa |
| 43 | 🇺🇬Uganda |
3% | 155 | Africa |
| 44 | 🇱🇷Liberia |
2.9% | 159 | Africa |
| 45 | 🇬🇼Guinea-Bissau |
2.7% | 165 | Africa |
| 46 | 🇸🇨Seychelles |
2.6% | 167 | Africa |
| 47 | 🇹🇿Tanzania |
2.6% | 168 | Africa |
| 48 | 🇨🇮Ivory Coast |
2.3% | 172 | Africa |
| 49 | 🇹🇬Togo |
2% | 178 | Africa |
| 50 | 🇧🇯Benin |
1.8% | 179 | Africa |
| 51 | 🇹🇩Chad |
1.1% | 187 | Africa |
| 52 | 🇧🇮Burundi |
1% | 189 | Africa |
| 53 | 🇳🇪Niger |
0.4% | 190 | Africa |
Key Findings
Important employment patterns and country comparisons from the unemployment rate rankings across Africa.
Sudan Has the Highest Unemployment Rate in Africa
- Sudan ranks first with an unemployment rate of 61.3%.
- It also holds the highest global position in the supplied dataset.
Cameroon Also Reports Unemployment Above 50%
- Cameroon records 57%, placing it second in Africa and worldwide.
- Sudan and Cameroon are the only African economies with unemployment above 50%.
Six African Countries Record Unemployment Above 20%
- Sudan, Cameroon, Eswatini, South Africa, Djibouti, and Botswana each report rates above 20%.
- Gabon follows closely with an unemployment rate of 20.1%.
South Africa Ranks Fourth in the Continent
- South Africa reports 32.5%, placing it behind Sudan, Cameroon, and Eswatini.
- Its rate is nearly three times Africa’s regional unemployment figure of 10.81%.
North African Labor Markets Show Wide Differences
- Libya records 18.7%, Tunisia 16.3%, Morocco 12.2%, Algeria 11.5%, and Egypt 7.4%.
- These figures show considerable variation even within the same subregion.
Nigeria Records a Relatively Low Official Rate
- Nigeria reports unemployment of 3%, placing it near the lower end of the African ranking.
- Ghana and Madagascar each record 3.1%, while Kenya reports 5.5%.
Several Countries Report Unemployment Below 2%
- Benin, Chad, Burundi, and Niger each record official unemployment below 2%.
- Very low unemployment may coexist with informal work, underemployment, or limited labor-force participation.
Niger Has the Lowest Unemployment Rate in Africa
- Niger ranks last with an unemployment rate of 0.4%.
- Burundi follows at 1%, while Chad records 1.1%.
Unemployment Rate in Africa Comparison
The comparison chart shows how unemployment varies across African economies. It makes the regional differences easier to evaluate by placing countries with high joblessness alongside those reporting lower official unemployment rates.
Unemployment in Africa
Top 10 Countries with the Highest Unemployment Rates in Africa
- Sudan — 61.3%
- Cameroon — 57%
- Eswatini — 34.4%
- South Africa — 32.5%
- Djibouti — 25.9%
- Botswana — 23.2%
- Gabon — 20.1%
- Congo — 19.7%
- Namibia — 19.2%
- Somalia — 18.9%
Top 10 Countries with the Lowest Unemployment Rates in Africa
- Niger — 0.4%
- Burundi — 1%
- Chad — 1.1%
- Benin — 1.8%
- Togo — 2%
- Ivory Coast — 2.3%
- Seychelles — 2.6%
- Tanzania — 2.6%
- Guinea-Bissau — 2.7%
- Liberia — 2.9%
Definitions & Methodology
What is the unemployment rate in Africa?
The unemployment rate in Africa compares the proportion of the labor force without employment across African countries. It provides a regional view of differences in joblessness and labor-market access.
How are African countries ranked?
Countries are ordered from the highest to the lowest reported unemployment rate. Higher values indicate that a larger share of the labor force is classified as unemployed.
Who is generally considered unemployed?
An unemployed person is usually someone without paid work who is available for employment and actively seeking a job under the statistical definition used by the reporting authority.
Why do unemployment rates vary across Africa?
Differences may reflect economic development, conflict, political stability, demographics, education, investment, industrial structure, labor policies, and access to formal employment.
Does low unemployment always mean a strong labor market?
Not necessarily. Low official unemployment may occur alongside informal work, seasonal employment, unpaid family work, low wages, underemployment, or limited labor-force participation.
What is Africa’s regional unemployment rate?
Africa records a regional unemployment rate of 10.81%. Country values range from 61.3% in Sudan to 0.4% in Niger.
How should these rankings be interpreted?
Comparisons should account for survey coverage, reporting periods, informal employment, labor-force participation, data quality, conflict conditions, and differences between national and modeled estimates.
Unemployment Rate in Africa FAQs
Which country has the highest unemployment rate in Africa?
Sudan has the highest reported unemployment rate in Africa at 61.3%.
Which countries have the highest unemployment rates in Africa?
The five highest rates belong to Sudan, Cameroon, Eswatini, South Africa, and Djibouti.
What is Africa’s average unemployment rate?
Africa records a regional unemployment rate of 10.81% in this dataset.
What is South Africa’s unemployment rate?
South Africa reports an unemployment rate of 32.5%, placing it fourth in the African ranking.
What is Nigeria’s unemployment rate?
Nigeria records an unemployment rate of 3% in the supplied dataset.
Which country has the lowest unemployment rate in Africa?
Niger has the lowest reported unemployment rate in Africa at 0.4%.
Why do unemployment rates differ across African countries?
Differences may result from economic development, demographics, conflict, investment, education, labor policies, industrial structure, political stability, and the scale of informal employment.