Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 44.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Bangladesh, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Bangladesh is 44.3%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Bangladesh peaked at 69.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 40.6%, in 2017.
That places Bangladesh 33rd 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 Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 69.9% | — |
| 1992 | 69.7% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 69.4% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 68.9% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 68.0% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 67.0% | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 67.3% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 67.5% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 67.6% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 67.6% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 63.7% | -5.8% |
| 2002 | 59.4% | -6.7% |
| 2003 | 54.8% | -7.8% |
| 2004 | 53.2% | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 51.4% | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 50.5% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 49.7% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 49.0% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 48.3% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 47.6% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 46.8% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 45.9% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 45.1% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 44.4% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 43.5% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 42.7% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 40.6% | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 40.8% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 40.8% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 42.5% | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 43.5% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 43.7% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 45.4% | +3.9% |
| 2024 | 44.7% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 44.3% | -1.1% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 44.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.4%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 44.3% is above the median for South Asia, which is 33.7%, 1.3× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 68.4% | 67.0% | 69.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 54.8% | 48.3% | 67.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.8% | 40.6% | 47.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.0% | 42.5% | 45.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
- 30 Myanmar 45.0% compare
- 31 Vanuatu 44.5% compare
- 32 Sierra Leone 44.5% compare
- 34 Tajikistan 43.3% compare
- 35 Solomon Islands 42.5% compare
- 36 Bhutan 42.4% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Bangladesh
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1142 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 296.72 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6676 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 11.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 11.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2018)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 6.0% (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Bangladesh?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Bangladesh was 44.3% 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 Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 69.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.6% in 2017.
- How does Bangladesh rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Bangladesh ranks 33rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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).