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MacroNigeria

Unemployment rate in Nigeria

How hard is it to have a job there?

Nigeria's unemployment rate is 3.06 % — #28 of 124 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

3.06%

Checked 8 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt)

Unemployment rate in Nigeria over time

5.71 %4.38 %3.04 %5.71 % · 20203.04 % · 20242000: 3.95 %2001: 3.90 %2002: 3.67 %2003: 3.64 %2004: 3.59 %2005: 3.73 %2006: 3.75 %2007: 3.79 %2008: 3.79 %2009: 3.76 %2010: 3.74 %2011: 3.77 %2012: 3.76 %2013: 3.71 %2014: 3.90 %2015: 4.13 %2016: 4.50 %2017: 4.83 %2018: 5.07 %2019: 5.21 %2020: 5.71 %2021: 5.40 %2022: 3.83 %2023: 3.07 %2024: 3.04 %2025: 3.06 %2000201220253.06 %
26 official observations, 2000 → 2025. Every point is a published value — never interpolated.
Rank
#28 of 124
lower is better
Ranked behind
77 %
96 of 124 countries
Latest move
▲ 0.02 pp
since 2024
Below its peak
2.65 pp
peak 5.71 % in 2020
Full series
▼ 0.89 pp
since 2000

In Africa: #4 of 21vs median 5.25 %: −2.19 pp (better)

Among 124 countries

6 of 124 countries between 0.78 % and 1.53 %6 of 124 countries between 1.53 % and 2.28 %12 of 124 countries between 2.28 % and 3.03 %16 of 124 countries between 3.03 % and 3.78 %7 of 124 countries between 3.78 % and 4.53 %15 of 124 countries between 4.53 % and 5.28 %14 of 124 countries between 5.28 % and 6.02 %7 of 124 countries between 6.02 % and 6.77 %6 of 124 countries between 6.77 % and 7.52 %2 of 124 countries between 7.52 % and 8.27 %10 of 124 countries between 8.27 % and 9.02 %3 of 124 countries between 9.02 % and 9.77 %3 of 124 countries between 9.77 % and 10.52 %2 of 124 countries between 10.52 % and 11.27 %3 of 124 countries between 11.27 % and 12.02 %1 of 124 countries between 12.02 % and 12.77 %1 of 124 countries between 12.77 % and 13.51 %2 of 124 countries between 13.51 % and 14.26 %1 of 124 countries between 14.26 % and 15.01 %2 of 124 countries between 15.01 % and 15.76 %1 of 124 countries between 16.51 % and 17.26 %4 of 124 countries between 18.01 % and 18.76 %median 5.23 %Nigeria: ahead of 77 % of the 124 countries with a published unemploymentNigeria 3.06 %0.78 %18.76 %
Half of all 124 countries sit between 3.30 % and 8.30 %. Nigeria is ahead of 77 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 5 values beyond it sit in the end bars.

The neighbourhood

#CountryUnemploymentvs Nigeria
26 Madagascar3.04 %−0.02 pp
27 Myanmar3.05 %−0.02 pp
28 Nigeria3.06 %—
29 Slovenia3.17 %+0.11 pp
30 Indonesia3.24 %+0.17 pp

Unemployment, share of the labour force (World Bank / ILO estimate).

How to read this figure

Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it (World Bank / ILO harmonised estimate). People outside the labour force — students, carers, the discouraged — are not counted.

Next, about Nigeria

Average monthly salaryGDP growthGDP per capita
Unemployment rate, all countries ranked →Compare Nigeria with another country →Everything about Nigeria →
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