Nigeria’s labour market has been found to be heavily skewed against women in formal employment, with only 10.5 per cent of employed women in wage and salaried jobs as of 2025, according to the World Bank’s latest gender data report.
The figure highlights the dominance of informal and vulnerable work among women, despite relatively high participation in the labour force. The disparity becomes more pronounced when compared with men. About 17 per cent of employed men in Nigeria are in wage and salaried roles, significantly higher than the 10.5 per cent recorded for women.
The World Bank report shows that while 80.7 per cent of Nigerian women aged 15 and above are active in the labour market, few can access stable, paid employment while the most are concentrated in low-quality jobs that offer little income security or social protection.
The report noted that although a large share of Nigerian women participate in the labour market, most are concentrated in informal and vulnerable work with limited income security and social protection.
According to the report, the gap is wider when compared with men, where 17 per cent of employed people are in wage and salaried roles. The figure is 6.5 percentage points higher than in the case of women.
It added that Nigeria also lags in global and regional benchmarks, with women’s wage employment below the sub-Saharan Africa average of 16.9 per cent, lower-middle-income countries at 26.5 per cent and the global average of 54.6 per cent.
The World Bank attributed the disparity to structural barriers such as skills gaps, limited access to capital and social norms that restrict women’s entry into formal jobs. It explained that “these constraints continue to push many women into informal or unpaid roles.”
The report also showed that 79.1 per cent of female workers are engaged in vulnerable employment, compared to 54.8 per cent of men. It explained that such jobs, including self-employment and unpaid family work, often lack job security, stable income and legal protection.
On sectoral distribution, the report said 23.6 per cent of employed women work in agriculture, compared to 42.7 per cent of men. While lower than men’s share, it noted that agriculture remains a major employer of women, often characterised by low productivity and earnings.
The report also examined youth employment trends, showing that female youth unemployment stood at 6.29 per cent in 2025, lower than the sub-Saharan Africa average of 11 per cent and the global rate of 14.9 per cent. Male youth unemployment was lower at 4.42 per cent.
However, it pointed to concerns around disengagement, noting that 13.4 per cent of young women are not in education, employment or training. “A significant number remain outside productive engagement,” the report stated.
On legal and institutional frameworks, Nigeria scored 51 per cent on the Women, Business and the Law Index, indicating that women have just over half of the legal rights available to men.
The report said support systems for implementing gender-equal laws stand at 49 per cent, while enforcement is estimated at only 34 per cent. It added that no reforms were introduced between October 2023 and October 2025 to address these gaps, highlighting persistent systemic constraints on women’s economic participation.
