Labour · Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
Sudan: the labour market
Labour force is 10.9m (2022), 53rd of 187 in the world and 15th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Participation rate is 37.5% (2022), 181st of 187 in the world and 45th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women's participation is 14.5% (2022), 181st of 187 in the world and 47th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Labour force
Sudan
Participation rate
SudanSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Sudan 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 | 10.9m2022 | 53/187 | 15/47 | 7.7m | 9.6m | 10.7m | +12%since 2012 | 527m | 267m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 37.5%2022 | 181/187 | 45/47 | 50.8% | 48.7% | 39.1% | −10.3 ppsince 2012 | 70.3% | 64.4% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 14.5%2022 | 181/187 | 47/47 | 27.8% | 27.4% | 17.0% | −12.6 ppsince 2012 | 65.2% | 54.7% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 34.7%2022 | 178/187 | 44/47 | 42.9% | 41.3% | 34.4% | −5.0 ppsince 2012 | 66.3% | 61.2% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 7.5%2022 | 58/187 | 17/47 | 15.6% | 15.2% | 12.0% | −9.4 ppsince 2012 | 5.7% | 4.9% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 14.0%2022 | 27/187 | 11/47 | 23.0% | 26.6% | 21.5% | −15.4 ppsince 2012 | 6.3% | 4.7% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 12.0%2022 | 98/187 | 18/47 | 24.3% | 26.4% | 19.8% | −18.8 ppsince 2012 | 10.1% | 10.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 46.5%2022 | 4/170 | 2/44 | · | 33.1%2011 | 46.5%2022 | +13.4 ppsince 2011 | — | — | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 53.5%2022 | 126/187 | 12/47 | 51.9% | 53.7% | 52.2% | +0.2 ppsince 2012 | 22.3% | 21.1% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 39.7%2022 | 64/187 | 36/47 | 41.0% | 39.0% | 41.0% | +0.1 ppsince 2012 | 71.0% | 76.1% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 39.8%2022 | 41/187 | 28/47 | 46.8% | 42.4% | 39.7% | −2.1 ppsince 2012 | 49.3% | 59.4% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 14.0%2022 | 151/187 | 25/47 | 12.3% | 14.4% | 13.9% | +0.2 ppsince 2012 | 12.2% | 10.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 46.2%2022 | 143/187 | 18/47 | 40.8% | 43.2% | 46.4% | +1.9 ppsince 2012 | 38.5% | 30.4% | 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
- Unemployment−9.4 pp7.5% in 2022
- Female unemployment−15.4 pp14.0% in 2022
- Youth unemployment−18.8 pp12.0% in 2022
- Wage workers+0.2 pp53.5% in 2022
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−12.6 pp14.5% in 2022
- Employment rate−5.0 pp34.7% in 2022
- Youth NEET rate+13.4 pp46.5% in 2022
- Vulnerable employment+0.1 pp39.7% in 2022
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Sudan and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Sudan. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Sudan | Ethiopia | Egypt | Chad | South Sudan | Libya |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 10.9m2022 | 56.8m2025 | 36.1m2025 | 6.7m2025 | 5.1m2023 | 2.6m2025 |
| Participation rate | 37.5%2022 | 68.5%2025 | 44.6%2025 | 59.4%2025 | 73.4%2023 | 48.0%2025 |
| Women's participation | 14.5%2022 | 58.5%2025 | 18.5%2025 | 47.3%2025 | 70.4%2023 | 33.0%2025 |
| Employment rate | 34.7%2022 | 66.2%2025 | 41.5%2025 | 58.8%2025 | 64.3%2023 | 39.0%2025 |
| Unemployment | 7.5%2022 | 3.3%2025 | 6.8%2025 | 1.1%2025 | 12.4%2023 | 18.8%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 14.0%2022 | 4.5%2025 | 15.3%2025 | 0.7%2025 | 13.6%2023 | 25.2%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 12.0%2022 | 5.4%2025 | 18.3%2025 | 1.5%2025 | 18.5%2023 | 50.1%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 46.5%2022 | 17.5%2021 | 23.8%2024 | 42.3%2022 | 29.1%2008 | — |
| Wage workers | 53.5%2022 | 15.7%2025 | 73.0%2025 | 8.4%2025 | 17.5%2023 | 74.1%2025 |