World Bank Data Reveals Only 10.5% of Employed Nigerian Women Hold Formal Wage or Salaried Jobs

New World Bank data shows 10.5% of Nigerian women hold formal jobs, highlighting a heavy reliance on informal work and significant legal and financial gaps.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 7, 2026, 3:46 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Leadership

The Persistence of Informal and Vulnerable Work for Women

Nigeria’s labor market continues to exhibit a profound gender imbalance in formal employment. According to the World Bank’s latest gender data report, only 10.5 percent of employed women held wage or salaried positions in 2025. This stands in stark contrast to the 80.7 percent participation rate for women aged 15 and above, indicating that while most women are working, they are largely confined to low-quality roles that lack income security, legal safeguards, or social protections.

Comparative Disparities Across Regional and Global Benchmarks

When compared to men and other international economic groups, the gap in Nigerian formal employment becomes even more pronounced. While 17.0 percent of employed Nigerian men hold wage and salaried jobs, women’s participation in these roles lags at just over 10 percent. On a broader scale, Nigeria’s female wage employment of 10.5 percent falls short of the 16.9 percent average in Sub-Saharan Africa and is dwarfed by the 54.6 percent global average.

Structural Barriers and the Vulnerable Employment Trap

Several systemic hurdles contribute to the concentration of women in informal labor. Skills shortages, limited access to capital, and restrictive social norms often prevent women from transitioning into higher-value work. The report find that vulnerable employment—which includes self-employment and unpaid family labor—affects 79.1 percent of female workers, compared to 54.8 percent of men. Additionally, while 23.6 percent of working women are in agriculture, they are often relegated to low-productivity roles that offer little path toward economic advancement.