Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 51.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso, 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 Burkina Faso is 51.8%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso peaked at 82.0% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 51.6%, in 2019.
Burkina Faso ranks 22nd of 187 countries on this measure, 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 Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 81.9% | — |
| 1992 | 82.0% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 81.9% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 81.9% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 81.1% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 79.8% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 78.8% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 77.8% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 76.5% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 75.8% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 74.7% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 73.7% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 72.3% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 71.1% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 69.6% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 68.1% | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 67.1% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 66.3% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 65.3% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 63.8% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 62.4% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 61.1% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 59.8% | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 58.7% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 57.6% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 56.2% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 54.6% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 53.0% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 51.6% | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 52.9% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 53.4% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 53.1% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 52.7% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 52.2% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 51.8% | -0.9% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 51.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 58.5%, 88% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 51.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.5%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 80.2% | 76.5% | 82.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 70.4% | 65.3% | 75.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.9% | 51.6% | 63.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.7% | 51.8% | 53.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
More agriculture & rural data for Burkina Faso
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1994 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 228.86 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7108 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 19.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 19.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 6.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso was 51.8% 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 Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 82.0% in 1992.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.6% in 2019.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Burkina Faso ranks 22nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Burkina Faso 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).