Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to become the world’s largest source of new workers over the next 25 years, with more than 620 million people expected to join the region’s working-age population by 2050, according to the World Bank.
The demographic shift is expected to place Africa at the centre of the global labour market as ageing populations and shrinking workforces increasingly affect several other regions.
The World Bank estimates that the population of Sub-Saharan Africa will rise from about 1.5 billion in 2024 to 2.5 billion by 2050, with more than 600 million additional people entering the working-age population during the period.
However, the region’s rapid demographic growth presents a major economic challenge, particularly the need to create enough productive jobs to absorb millions of new workers entering the labour market each year.
The World Bank estimates that Sub-Saharan Africa will need to create an average of 25 million jobs annually through 2050 to keep pace with the expansion of its working-age population.
It warned that the challenge is compounded by the fact that economic growth in the region has not generated employment at a pace sufficient to match the rapid expansion of the labour force.
The institution has therefore called on African countries to pursue more productive, diversified and private-sector-led economic growth, supported by investments in infrastructure, skills development and institutions capable of reducing the cost of doing business.
The World Bank identified infrastructure and energy, agriculture and agribusiness, healthcare, tourism, and value-added manufacturing as sectors with significant potential to generate jobs on a large scale.
It stressed that unlocking this potential would require more than government spending, noting that increased private-sector investment, improved infrastructure and a stronger business environment would be critical to enabling companies to expand production and create jobs.
The bank also emphasised the importance of skills development as African economies increasingly integrate into evolving global supply chains and emerging industries.
For Nigeria, the demographic shift is particularly significant. As Africa’s most populous country, its expanding workforce could become a major driver of economic growth if sufficient productive employment opportunities are created.
However, without accelerated job creation, the country’s population growth could worsen unemployment and underemployment while increasing pressure on household incomes and living standards.
