Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in China
China: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 21.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in China, 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 China is 21.7%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in China peaked at 59.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 21.7%, in 2025.
That places China 81st out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 59.6% | — |
| 1992 | 58.5% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 56.4% | -3.6% |
| 1994 | 54.3% | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 52.2% | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 50.5% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 49.9% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 49.8% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 50.1% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 50.0% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 50.0% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 49.1% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 46.9% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 44.8% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 42.6% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 40.8% | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 39.6% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 38.1% | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 36.7% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 34.8% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 33.6% | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 31.4% | -6.5% |
| 2014 | 29.5% | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 28.3% | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 27.4% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 26.7% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 25.8% | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 24.7% | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 23.6% | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 22.9% | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 24.1% | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 22.8% | -5.3% |
| 2024 | 22.2% | -2.6% |
| 2025 | 21.7% | -2.4% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 21.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.5%, 1.4× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- China's 21.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 23.6%, 92% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 53.5% | 49.8% | 59.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 45.2% | 38.1% | 50.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.9% | 24.7% | 36.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.9% | 21.7% | 24.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3366 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in China?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in China was 21.7% 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 59.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.7% in 2025.
- How does China rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- China ranks 81st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China 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
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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).