The expanded unemployment rate surged by 4.1 percentage points in one quarter to reach its highest level since 2022. Youth and women in rural areas are hardest hit by this sharp deterioration in the labor market, according to ANSD.
DAKAR — The Senegalese economy is experiencing a marked deterioration in its labor market. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the expanded unemployment rate reached 23.3%, a dramatic increase of 4.1 percentage points compared to the previous quarter, according to the latest data from the National Agency of Statistics and Demography (ANSD).
This is the highest level recorded since the first quarter of 2022, when the rate peaked at 25.7%. This progression also marks an increase of 3.3 percentage points compared to the same period in 2024 (20.0%).
Rural Areas Particularly Affected
The National Employment Survey in Senegal (ENES) reveals significant territorial disparities. Unemployment is more severe in rural areas, where it reaches 29.2%, compared to 19.6% in urban zones.
According to the strict definition of the International Labour Organization (ILO), which applies more restrictive criteria, the unemployment rate stands at 5.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 3.2% in the previous quarter.
Youth on the Front Line
Young people bear the heaviest burden of this employment crisis. Among this category, unemployment climbs to 27.4%, nearly 9 percentage points higher than among adults (18.7%).
Women More Vulnerable
By gender, women are consistently more affected by unemployment, regardless of age group or area of residence, ANSD specifies in its report.
Four-Year Unemployment Trends
Analysis of quarterly data since 2022 shows significant volatility in the labor market:
2025
- Q4: 23.3% (5.4% strict ILO definition)
- Q3: 19.2% (3.2% strict ILO definition)
- Q2: 19.0% (3.2% strict ILO definition)
- Q1: 21.7% (4.9% strict ILO definition)
2024
- Q4: 20.0% (5.6% strict ILO definition)
- Q3: 20.3% (5.3% strict ILO definition)
- Q2: 21.6% (5.8% strict ILO definition)
- Q1: 23.2% (4.7% strict ILO definition)
2023
- Q4: 22.3% (5.0% strict ILO definition)
- Q3: 19.5% (5.8% strict ILO definition)
- Q2: 18.6% (4.1% strict ILO definition)
- Q1: 21.5% (4.4% strict ILO definition)
2022
- Q4: 21.9% (3.9% strict ILO definition)
- Q3: 22.9% (5.3% strict ILO definition)
- Q2: 21.7% (5.7% strict ILO definition)
- Q1: 25.7% (5.5% strict ILO definition)
These official figures underscore the persistence of structurally high unemployment in Senegal, with an average fluctuating around 20% for four years. The recent acceleration of the phenomenon raises questions about employment policies needed to reverse the trend.
Seneweb
