Only 10.5% Women In Nigeria Have Formal Jobs—World Bank

Nigeria’s labour market continues to disadvantage women in formal employment, with just 10.5 per cent of employed women holding wage or salaried positions in 2025, per the World Bank’s latest gender data report.
This underscores women’s heavy reliance on informal and vulnerable work, even as 80.7 per cent of women aged 15 and above participate in the labour force—mostly in low-quality roles lacking income security or social protections.
Men fare better: 17.0 per cent of employed Nigerian men are in wage and salaried jobs, outpacing women’s share. Nigeria also lags regional and global benchmarks, with women’s wage employment at 10.5 per cent versus 16.9 per cent in Sub-Saharan Africa, 26.5 per cent in lower-middle-income countries, and 54.6 per cent worldwide.
Structural hurdles—like skills shortages, limited capital access, and social norms—trap many women in informal or unpaid work. Vulnerable employment affects 79.1 per cent of female workers, compared to 54.8 per cent of men; this includes self-employment and family labour without job security or legal safeguards.
Agriculture employs 23.6 per cent of working women (versus 42.7 per cent of men), often in low-productivity roles.
Youth Trends Offer Mixed Signals
Among youth, female unemployment dipped to 6.29 per cent in 2025—below Sub-Saharan Africa’s 11.0 per cent and the global 14.9 per cent.
Male youth unemployment was lower still at 4.42 per cent. Yet, 13.4 per cent of young women are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), signaling gaps in productive engagement.
Legal and Enforcement Gaps Hinder Progress
Nigeria scores 51 per cent on the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law index, granting women just over half the legal rights of men. Implementation frameworks cover only 49 per cent of needs, with enforcement at a mere 34 per cent. No reforms occurred from October 2023 to October 2025.
Financial inclusion is advancing but uneven: 52.2 per cent of women had bank accounts in 2024 (versus 74.3 per cent of men), and 36.5 per cent saved formally or via mobile money (versus 50.2 per cent of men). These disparities curb women’s shift to formal jobs or business growth.

High maternal mortality (993 deaths per 100,000 live births), adolescent fertility (86.4 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19), and child marriage (30.3 per cent of women aged 20-24 wed before 18) limit education and high-value work. The World Bank stresses that closing gender gaps is essential for productivity, poverty reduction, and shared prosperity in Nigeria.