Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Benin
Benin: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 40.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Benin, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Benin recorded 40.2% for employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Benin peaked at 46.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 40.2%, in 2025.
That places Benin 40th 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 Benin, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 46.6% | — |
| 1992 | 46.5% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 46.4% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 46.3% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 45.9% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 45.8% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 45.6% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 45.5% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 45.3% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 44.9% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 44.7% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 44.5% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 44.4% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 44.3% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 44.4% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 44.2% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 43.8% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 43.5% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 43.6% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 43.7% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 43.6% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 43.7% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 43.3% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 42.9% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 43.2% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 43.3% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 42.9% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 42.3% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 42.0% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 43.3% | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 43.4% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 42.7% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 41.9% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 41.1% | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 40.2% | -2.0% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 40.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.4%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Benin's 40.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.5%, 90% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 46.0% | 45.3% | 46.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 44.2% | 43.5% | 44.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.1% | 42.0% | 43.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.1% | 40.2% | 43.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More agriculture & rural data for Benin
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2292 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 380.06 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.6697 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4664 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 22.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 22.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 52.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Benin?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Benin was 40.2% 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 46.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.2% in 2025.
- How does Benin rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Benin ranks 40th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin 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).