Share of GDP from agriculture in South Africa
South Africa: Share of GDP from agriculture was 2.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
2.8%
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
134th
of 203 countries
All-time high
9.3%
in 1961
All-time low
1.9%
in 2013
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Share of GDP from agriculture in South Africa, 1960–2025
Source: National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 2.8% for share of gdp from agriculture in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 26.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of gdp from agriculture in South Africa peaked at 9.3% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2013.
South Africa ranks 134th of 203 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Share of GDP from agriculture in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 9.0% | — |
| 1961 | 9.3% | +3.0% |
| 1962 | 9.0% | -3.8% |
| 1963 | 8.8% | -1.4% |
| 1964 | 7.6% | -13.5% |
| 1965 | 7.4% | -2.8% |
| 1966 | 7.7% | +3.6% |
| 1967 | 8.5% | +10.3% |
| 1968 | 7.1% | -16.0% |
| 1969 | 6.7% | -6.6% |
| 1970 | 5.7% | -13.8% |
| 1971 | 6.2% | +8.5% |
| 1972 | 6.2% | -1.3% |
| 1973 | 5.9% | -3.8% |
| 1974 | 7.2% | +21.1% |
| 1975 | 6.3% | -11.8% |
| 1976 | 5.6% | -12.1% |
| 1977 | 5.8% | +4.7% |
| 1978 | 5.6% | -4.1% |
| 1979 | 5.0% | -10.4% |
| 1980 | 5.3% | +6.1% |
| 1981 | 5.4% | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 4.7% | -13.4% |
| 1983 | 3.7% | -22.3% |
| 1984 | 4.0% | +8.3% |
| 1985 | 4.3% | +8.3% |
| 1986 | 4.1% | -3.9% |
| 1987 | 4.6% | +12.3% |
| 1988 | 4.8% | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 4.4% | -7.7% |
| 1990 | 3.8% | -14.1% |
| 1991 | 3.7% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 3.1% | -15.9% |
| 1993 | 3.4% | +8.7% |
| 1994 | 3.8% | +9.7% |
| 1995 | 3.1% | -16.9% |
| 1996 | 3.4% | +9.5% |
| 1997 | 3.3% | -4.4% |
| 1998 | 3.0% | -7.1% |
| 1999 | 2.8% | -6.2% |
| 2000 | 2.6% | -8.1% |
| 2001 | 2.8% | +7.6% |
| 2002 | 3.0% | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | -10.2% |
| 2004 | 2.4% | -9.1% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | -13.5% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | +14.9% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | +9.2% |
| 2009 | 2.4% | -6.7% |
| 2010 | 2.1% | -12.2% |
| 2011 | 2.0% | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 2.0% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 1.9% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | +10.3% |
| 2015 | 2.2% | +5.1% |
| 2016 | 2.4% | +8.1% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | -9.3% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | -13.7% |
| 2020 | 2.6% | +32.2% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 2.6% | +6.0% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 2.8% | +10.9% |
| 2025 | 2.8% | +0.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 2.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6.8%, 41% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 2.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.8%, 14% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.1% | 6.7% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.0% | 5.0% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.5% | 3.7% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.4% | 2.8% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.5% | 2.1% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
- Rural population 36.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of gdp from agriculture in South Africa?
- Share of gdp from agriculture in South Africa was 2.8% in 2025, according to National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of gdp from agriculture recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9.3% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of gdp from agriculture recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2013.
- How does South Africa rank for share of gdp from agriculture?
- South Africa ranks 134th out of 203 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of gdp from agriculture rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of GDP from agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This is measured as the value added from agriculture, forestry and fishing products as a share of gross domestic product (GDP).