Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 51.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Afghanistan, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 51.6% for employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Afghanistan peaked at 65.5% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 43.0%, in 2017.
That places Afghanistan 23rd 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 (% of total employment) in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 65.3% | — |
| 1992 | 65.3% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 65.3% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 65.5% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 64.8% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 64.5% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 64.1% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 63.9% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 63.7% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 63.5% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 64.5% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 62.6% | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 62.0% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 62.0% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 60.8% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 60.4% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 58.7% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 58.1% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 54.9% | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 51.9% | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 51.3% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 48.8% | -5.0% |
| 2013 | 46.6% | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 43.9% | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 43.6% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 43.4% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 43.0% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 43.6% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 43.9% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 46.0% | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 50.2% | +9.2% |
| 2022 | 51.5% | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 51.3% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 51.5% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 51.6% | +0.3% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 51.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 58.5%, 88% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 51.6% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 6.3%, 8.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 64.7% | 63.7% | 65.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 60.7% | 54.9% | 64.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.0% | 43.0% | 51.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.4% | 46.0% | 51.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 20 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 54.1% compare
- 21 Angola 51.9% compare
- 22 Burkina Faso 51.8% compare
- 24 Republic of Moldova 50.5% compare
- 25 Guinea 47.4% compare
- 26 Haiti 46.6% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Afghanistan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3429 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 142.96 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0018 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7406 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 34.3% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 34.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 21.0% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Afghanistan?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Afghanistan was 51.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 65.5% in 1994.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.0% in 2017.
- How does Afghanistan rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Afghanistan ranks 23rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in agriculture (% of total 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).