Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Canada
Canada: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 1.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Canada, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Canada stood at 1.1%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% on the previous year and down 32.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Canada peaked at 3.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2025.
Canada ranks 176th of 187 countries on this measure, 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 Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.5% | — |
| 1992 | 3.5% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 3.3% | -3.9% |
| 1995 | 3.2% | -5.8% |
| 1996 | 3.1% | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 3.0% | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 3.0% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 2.8% | -6.2% |
| 2000 | 2.5% | -10.4% |
| 2001 | 2.2% | -14.1% |
| 2002 | 2.1% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 2.1% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | -4.0% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | +4.9% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 2.0% | -6.0% |
| 2008 | 1.9% | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 1.9% | +18.5% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | -22.2% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | -12.0% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 1.1% | -11.2% |
| 2025 | 1.1% | -2.2% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 1.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.4%, 46% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.2% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 173 Brunei Darussalam 1.2% compare
- 174 Djibouti 1.2% compare
- 175 Puerto Rico 1.1% compare
- 177 Germany 1.1% compare
- 178 Belgium 1.0% compare
- 179 Luxembourg 0.9% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Canada
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 31.61 % change on previous year (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0193 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,092 current US$ per person (2022)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.0803 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1712 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.9% (2022)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.9% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Canada?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Canada was 1.1% 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2025.
- How does Canada rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Canada ranks 176th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada 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).