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Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to account for more than three-quarters of the increase in the global working-age population by 2050, adding an additional 625 million people to its working-age population, according to the World Bank.
The World Bank made the projection in a post on its Data Blog, highlighting the growing importance of Sub-Saharan Africa to the global labour supply as other regions face ageing and declining working-age populations.
East Asia and the Pacific, for instance, is projected to lose more than 200 million working-age people over the same period.
What the World Bank is saying
The World Bank said demographic changes are creating a major global jobs challenge as large numbers of young people approach working age in emerging markets and developing economies.
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- “Over the next quarter-century, out to 2050, Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to add an additional 625 million people to its working-age population,” the World Bank said.
- The institution said the increase would account for more than three-quarters of the growth in the global working-age population during the period.
- The region’s demographic growth is being accompanied by a substantial increase in its young population.
The World Bank said the number of young working-age people in Sub-Saharan Africa has doubled since 2000.
- By 2035, more than 330 million people aged between 15 and 24 are expected to live in the region, almost 2.5 times the number recorded in 2000.
The scale of the increase means economies will need to expand employment opportunities for new entrants to the labour market.
Five sectors identified for job creation
The World Bank Group identified five sectors with strong potential for local and resilient job creation at scale.
These are infrastructure and energy, agribusiness and farming, health, tourism, and value-added manufacturing.
The institution also identified foundational infrastructure, a business-enabling environment and mobilisation of private capital as important conditions for employment growth.
The World Bank said there is no single solution to the global jobs challenge, with countries needing policies that support businesses and investment while helping workers acquire relevant skills.
Get up to speed
The World Bank’s projection comes as Nigeria’s population and workforce continue to expand, putting greater pressure on the economy to generate jobs at scale.
- Nairametrics reported in July 2026 that Nigeria’s population was estimated at 242.4 million, making it Africa’s most populous country, with a median age of 18 years. The country added about 4.9 million people over the previous year.
- In October 2025, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group warned that Nigeria needs to create 27.3 million jobs by 2030 to address mounting pressure on the labour market, including from its rapidly growing youth population.
The scale of the challenge is already evident in households across the country. Nairametrics reported in August 2026 that 45.3% of Nigerian households experienced a job loss, business closure or inability to find work in the previous year.
What you should know
Nigeria’s demographic outlook comes amid a broader challenge of creating enough productive jobs as the economy expands.
Nairametrics reported in July 2026 that Nigeria’s six fastest-growing sectors employ just 2.7% of the country’s workforce, despite recording average annual growth rates above 5% over the past three years.
By comparison, agriculture, wholesale and retail trade, and manufacturing account for 70.3% of total employment, but each recorded average growth of less than 2% over the same period.
