Africa: The working-age population in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to increase by more than 620 million people by 2050, the largest single-year growth ever recorded by any region in the world!

By 2050, the working-age population in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to increase by more than 620 million people, the largest single-year growth ever recorded by any region in the world. This is according to a World Bank report published on Saturday, October 18, 2025.

To absorb this growth, the institution estimates that an average of 25 million jobs will need to be created each year.

This increase in the number of people in the labor market is primarily due to a “unique” demographic shift, the document states. Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to account for 90% of global population growth over the next 25 years.

This dynamic is occurring against a backdrop of multiple vulnerabilities: persistent conflicts, the growing impacts of climate change, and fragile public finances. Furthermore, the region is already struggling to provide sufficient employment for its current working-age population.

To create jobs on a large scale for the millions of people entering the labor market, the Bretton Woods institution believes that Sub-Saharan Africa must adopt a new growth model based on the development of medium-sized and large enterprises.

“The region needs better-structured and more efficient production systems, based on a greater share of medium-sized and large enterprises capable of achieving economies of scale and creating specialized, better-paying jobs. However, the majority of businesses remain small and informal, which limits their capacity to generate productive employment.”

Furthermore, job creation will depend on the ability to reduce costs associated with the business environment. This improvement will allow existing businesses to grow and encourage the establishment of new, high-growth companies in the African market. The World Bank highlights that key sectors with job creation potential include agribusiness, mining, and tourism and hospitality.

To achieve this, it is necessary to remove the obstacles hindering private sector development. This requires policies aimed at improving infrastructure, workforce skills, establishing a more favorable business climate, and strengthening the capacities of governments and their institutions.

Currently, few concrete strategies are in place to prepare the workforce for the realities of tomorrow. According to Akinwumi Adesina, former president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Africa must act quickly to avoid a major unemployment crisis, with only 100 million people employed out of a projected 450 million by 2030.

According to the World Bank, employment constraints are particularly acute in the Central African Republic, Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and Angola, where the working-age population is expected to more than double in the next 25 years.

It should be noted that globally, job creation remains a significant challenge. The report estimates that “between 2025 and 2050, three regions will see their working-age population increase by more than one billion people. Most of these individuals, aged 15 to 64, will need employment.”