Labour · Sub-Saharan Africa · Lower-middle income
Guinea: the labour market
Labour force is 4.7m (2025), 92nd of 187 in the world and 27th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Participation rate is 52.6% (2025), 147th of 187 in the world and 39th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women's participation is 42.6% (2025), 142nd of 187 in the world and 41st of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Labour force
Guinea
Participation rate
GuineaSub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Guinea in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 4.7m2025 | 92/187 | 27/47 | 3.0m | 3.4m | 4.1m | +27%since 2015 | 527m | 1.2bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 52.6%2025 | 147/187 | 39/47 | 64.2% | 59.1% | 52.4% | −3.1 ppsince 2015 | 70.3% | 58.2% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 42.6%2025 | 142/187 | 41/47 | 62.9% | 53.3% | 41.9% | −4.5 ppsince 2015 | 65.2% | 39.2% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 49.9%2025 | 142/187 | 37/47 | 61.3% | 56.1% | 49.2% | −2.9 ppsince 2015 | 66.3% | 55.6% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 5.2%2025 | 94/187 | 25/47 | 4.6% | 5.0% | 6.0% | ±0.0 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.5% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 5.0%2025 | 110/187 | 26/47 | 3.5% | 4.0% | 5.9% | +0.6 ppsince 2015 | 6.3% | 4.9% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 7.0%2025 | 144/187 | 27/47 | 5.7% | 6.0% | 8.4% | +0.8 ppsince 2015 | 10.1% | 13.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 34.3%2019 | 24/170 | 13/44 | 24.4%2002 | · | 34.3%2019 | +9.9 ppsince 2002 | — | 21.8% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 18.1%2025 | 173/187 | 34/47 | 6.5% | 11.4% | 16.5% | +3.6 ppsince 2015 | 22.3% | 29.6% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 79.2%2025 | 14/187 | 13/47 | 90.9% | 86.0% | 80.7% | −3.7 ppsince 2015 | 71.0% | 65.5% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 47.4%2025 | 25/187 | 21/47 | 71.3% | 59.8% | 49.8% | −4.4 ppsince 2015 | 49.3% | 39.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 14.2%2025 | 148/187 | 24/47 | 5.3% | 10.1% | 14.0% | +0.6 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 22.4% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 38.5%2025 | 159/187 | 27/47 | 23.4% | 30.1% | 36.2% | +3.8 ppsince 2015 | 38.5% | 37.8% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Wage workers+3.6 pp18.1% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment−3.7 pp79.2% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−4.5 pp42.6% in 2025
- Employment rate−2.9 pp49.9% in 2025
- Female unemployment+0.6 pp5.0% in 2025
- Youth unemployment+0.8 pp7.0% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Guinea and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Guinea. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Guinea | Côte d'Ivoire | Mali | Senegal | Sierra Leone | Liberia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 4.7m2025 | 13.1m2025 | 9.2m2025 | 6.1m2025 | 2.9m2025 | 2.7m2025 |
| Participation rate | 52.6%2025 | 67.1%2025 | 67.0%2025 | 52.0%2025 | 53.4%2025 | 76.6%2025 |
| Women's participation | 42.6%2025 | 59.5%2025 | 52.8%2025 | 38.2%2025 | 51.6%2025 | 72.0%2025 |
| Employment rate | 49.9%2025 | 65.5%2025 | 65.1%2025 | 50.6%2025 | 51.7%2025 | 74.4%2025 |
| Unemployment | 5.2%2025 | 2.3%2025 | 2.8%2025 | 2.7%2025 | 3.1%2025 | 2.9%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 5.0%2025 | 2.6%2025 | 3.0%2025 | 3.1%2025 | 2.1%2025 | 2.2%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 7.0%2025 | 4.0%2025 | 3.9%2025 | 3.6%2025 | 3.7%2025 | 2.3%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 34.3%2019 | 18.8%2022 | 30.1%2024 | 34.3%2025 | 25.9%2018 | 39.9%2017 |
| Wage workers | 18.1%2025 | 29.0%2025 | 23.6%2025 | 35.7%2025 | 11.2%2025 | 21.7%2025 |