Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 55.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Africa Eastern and Southern stood at 55.9%.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 62.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 55.8%, in 2019.
That places Africa Eastern and Southern 3rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 60.9% | — |
| 1992 | 61.6% | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 61.7% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 61.8% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 61.9% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 61.5% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 61.6% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 61.7% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 61.7% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 61.8% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 61.9% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 62.2% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 62.3% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 62.1% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 61.9% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 61.6% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 61.3% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 61.0% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 60.9% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 60.3% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 60.0% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 59.5% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 59.7% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 59.2% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 58.6% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 58.1% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 57.6% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 56.7% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 55.8% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 57.6% | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 58.1% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 57.1% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 57.2% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 56.4% | -1.5% |
| 2025 | 55.9% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 61.6% | 60.9% | 61.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 61.7% | 60.9% | 62.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.5% | 55.8% | 60.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.1% | 55.9% | 58.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More agriculture & rural data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 209.47 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 15.4% (2025)
- Rural population 483.55 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.8% (2025)
- Rural population 61.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.613 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Africa Eastern and Southern was 55.9% 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 Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 62.3% in 2003.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.8% in 2019.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 3rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern 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).