Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Barbados
Barbados: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 1.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Barbados, 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 Barbados is 1.2%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 4.3% on the previous year and down 56.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Barbados peaked at 5.5% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2025.
That places Barbados 172nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Barbados, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.8% | — |
| 1992 | 5.5% | +14.3% |
| 1993 | 4.8% | -12.2% |
| 1994 | 4.6% | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 4.0% | -13.0% |
| 1996 | 4.8% | +19.3% |
| 1997 | 4.7% | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 3.9% | -16.3% |
| 1999 | 3.8% | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | -13.9% |
| 2001 | 3.6% | +12.1% |
| 2002 | 3.5% | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 4.0% | +13.6% |
| 2004 | 3.9% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 2.8% | -29.2% |
| 2006 | 4.2% | +50.5% |
| 2007 | 3.5% | -16.2% |
| 2008 | 3.2% | -8.5% |
| 2009 | 3.3% | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 3.3% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 3.2% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 3.1% | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 3.0% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 2.9% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 2.9% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 3.1% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 2.8% | -8.6% |
| 2020 | 3.0% | +5.0% |
| 2021 | 2.9% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | -52.0% |
| 2024 | 1.3% | -4.9% |
| 2025 | 1.2% | -4.3% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 1.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.4%, 52% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 1.2% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 11.5%, 11% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Barbados changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +50.5% | 2.8% | 4.2% |
| 2023 | -52.0% | 2.9% | 1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.5% | 3.8% | 5.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.5% | 2.8% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.1% | 1.2% | 3.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
- 169 Guam 1.6% compare
- 170 United States of America 1.5% compare
- 171 United Arab Emirates 1.4% compare
- 173 Brunei Darussalam 1.2% compare
- 174 Djibouti 1.2% compare
- 175 Puerto Rico 1.1% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Barbados
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -1.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0155 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.19 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3404 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.403 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.6% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Barbados?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Barbados was 1.2% 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 Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 5.5% in 1992.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2025.
- How does Barbados rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Barbados ranks 172nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is down 56.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Barbados 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.
Download this data
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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).