SDG indicator 1.1.1: Working poverty rate in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income
Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income: SDG indicator 1.1.1: Working poverty rate was 31.1 in 2025. ▼ Falling
SDG indicator 1.1.1: Working poverty rate in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income, 2000–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income recorded 31.1 for sdg indicator 1.1.1: working poverty rate in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sdg indicator 1.1.1: working poverty rate in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income peaked at 53.42 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.1, in 2025.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income 10th out of 76 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
SDG indicator 1.1.1: Working poverty rate in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 53.42 | — |
| 2001 | 52.67 | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 50.4 | -4.3% |
| 2003 | 49.46 | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 47.12 | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 46.32 | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 44.95 | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 43.46 | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 42.24 | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 40.76 | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 39.74 | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 37.72 | -5.1% |
| 2012 | 36.44 | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 35.72 | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 34.65 | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 34.45 | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 34.33 | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 33.64 | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 32.99 | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 32.19 | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 33.93 | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 33.49 | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 32.81 | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 32.29 | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 31.82 | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 31.1 | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.08 | 40.76 | 53.42 | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.19 | 32.19 | 39.74 | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.57 | 31.1 | 33.93 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income
More gender data for Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 258,627 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 1.1 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 420,043 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 420,043 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.82 % change on previous year (2030)
- Inactivity rate (ILO modelled estimates) 26.59 (2027)
- SDG indicator 5.5.2: Proportion of women in managerial positions 50.09 (2025)
- Gender income gap 44.88 (2026)
- SDG indicator 1.3.1: Proportion of population covered by social 14.6 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sdg indicator 1.1.1: working poverty rate in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income?
- Sdg indicator 1.1.1: working poverty rate in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income was 31.1 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest sdg indicator 1.1.1: working poverty rate recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 53.42 in 2000.
- What is the lowest sdg indicator 1.1.1: working poverty rate recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.1 in 2025.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income rank for sdg indicator 1.1.1: working poverty rate?
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income ranks 10th out of 76 groups with data for 2025.
- Is sdg indicator 1.1.1: working poverty rate rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of SDG indicator 1.1.1: Working poverty rate (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
The series is part of the ILO modelled estimates and is harmonized to account for differences in national data and scope of coverage, collection and tabulation methodologies as well as for other country-specific factors. The working poverty rate conveys the percentage of employed persons living in poverty in spite of being employed. Poverty is defined using the international poverty line of US$3 per day in purchasing power parity (PPP). For more information, refer to the Labour Market-related SDG Indicators (ILOSDG) database description.