As of 2021, there were nearly 94,000 Chinese workers in Africa, a decrease from the previous year when around 104,000 of them worked under contracted projects and in labor services in the region. The count of the Chinese labor force in Africa fluctuated over the years under review, peaking in 2015, when more than 263,000 employees were registered.
Number of Chinese workers in Africa from 2009 to 2021
(in 1,000s)
workers in both contracted projects and labor services
Supplementary notes
Figures have been rounded.
The source notes the following:
"Includes Chinese workers sent to work on Chinese companies’ construction contracts in Africa ("workers on contracted projects") and Chinese workers hired for other labor services, such as working in factories ("workers doing labor services"). They are reported by Chinese contractors and do not include informal migrants such as traders and shopkeepers".
The source excluded data for Burkina Faso
Fmr. Sudan,
Libya,
Sao Tome & Principe,
Somalia, and
Eswatini.
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SAIS China Africa Research Initiative. (March 21, 2023). Number of Chinese workers in Africa from 2009 to 2021 (in 1,000s) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1259271/number-of-chinese-workers-in-africa/
SAIS China Africa Research Initiative. "Number of Chinese workers in Africa from 2009 to 2021 (in 1,000s)." Chart. March 21, 2023. Statista. Accessed September 20, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1259271/number-of-chinese-workers-in-africa/
SAIS China Africa Research Initiative. (2023). Number of Chinese workers in Africa from 2009 to 2021 (in 1,000s). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 20, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1259271/number-of-chinese-workers-in-africa/
SAIS China Africa Research Initiative. "Number of Chinese Workers in Africa from 2009 to 2021 (in 1,000s)." Statista, Statista Inc., 21 Mar 2023, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1259271/number-of-chinese-workers-in-africa/
SAIS China Africa Research Initiative, Number of Chinese workers in Africa from 2009 to 2021 (in 1,000s) Statista, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1259271/number-of-chinese-workers-in-africa/ (last visited September 20, 2024)
Number of Chinese workers in Africa from 2009 to 2021 (in 1,000s) [Graph], SAIS China Africa Research Initiative, March 21, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1259271/number-of-chinese-workers-in-africa/