Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) was 42.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Nigeria, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Nigeria stood at 42.7%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Nigeria peaked at 60.2% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 42.7%, in 2025.
That places Nigeria 34th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 60.1% | — |
| 1992 | 59.8% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 60.1% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 60.2% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 60.2% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 60.0% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 59.8% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 59.6% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 59.4% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 58.9% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 58.5% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 58.1% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 57.4% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 56.4% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 55.7% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 54.9% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 54.2% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 53.5% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 52.7% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 51.5% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 50.5% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 50.0% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 49.3% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 48.4% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 47.9% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 47.9% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 47.7% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 47.4% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 47.0% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 47.1% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 45.6% | -3.2% |
| 2022 | 44.2% | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 43.9% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 43.3% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 42.7% | -1.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 42.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.1%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 42.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 45.0%, 95% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 59.9% | 59.4% | 60.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 56.0% | 52.7% | 58.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.8% | 47.0% | 51.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.5% | 42.7% | 47.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Nigeria?
- Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Nigeria was 42.7% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 60.2% in 1995.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.7% in 2025.
- How does Nigeria rank for employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment)?
- Nigeria ranks 34th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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).