Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in North Korea
North Korea: Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) was 50.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in North Korea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in North Korea stood at 50.6%.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in North Korea peaked at 55.7% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 50.5%, in 2016.
North Korea ranks 19th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 53.0% | — |
| 1992 | 53.6% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 54.0% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 54.4% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 54.8% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 55.1% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 55.6% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 55.7% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 55.1% | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 54.9% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 54.4% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 54.1% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 53.7% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 53.4% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 52.9% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 52.8% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 52.8% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 52.4% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 52.2% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 52.1% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 52.0% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 51.7% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 51.4% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 51.1% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 51.0% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 50.5% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 50.7% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 50.9% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 50.6% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 51.9% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 51.9% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 51.7% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 51.2% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 50.9% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 50.6% | -0.5% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 50.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 53.1%, 95% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 50.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 25.6%, 2.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 54.6% | 53.0% | 55.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 53.3% | 52.2% | 54.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.2% | 50.5% | 52.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.4% | 50.6% | 51.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 16 Equatorial Guinea 54.7% compare
- 17 Eritrea 53.1% compare
- 18 Zambia 51.6% compare
- 20 Afghanistan 50.2% compare
- 21 Burkina Faso 50.0% compare
- 22 Democratic Republic of Congo 49.9% compare
More agriculture & rural data for North Korea
- Rural population 9.52 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.6% (2025)
- Rural population 35.8% (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6454 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3581 units per person (2025)
- Cereal yield 3,610 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 4.89 million metric tons (2024)
- Aquaculture production 685,700 metric tons (2024)
- Land under cereal production 1.35 million hectares (2024)
- Milk per animal 2,342 kilograms per animal (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in North Korea?
- Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in North Korea was 50.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 55.7% in 1998.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.5% in 2016.
- How does North Korea rank for employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment)?
- North Korea ranks 19th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).