Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 60.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Ethiopia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Ethiopia stood at 60.1%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Ethiopia peaked at 78.4% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 60.1%, in 2025.
That places Ethiopia 14th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 77.2% | — |
| 1992 | 78.0% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 77.4% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 77.2% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 77.0% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 76.2% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 76.3% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 76.7% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 76.4% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 76.6% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 76.7% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 77.3% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 78.4% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 77.9% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 78.1% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 77.4% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 76.5% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 75.8% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 75.1% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 73.8% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 72.7% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 72.1% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 71.0% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 69.6% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 68.0% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 66.4% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 64.7% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 63.4% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 61.8% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 63.6% | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 63.5% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 63.0% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 62.2% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 61.0% | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 60.1% | -1.4% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 60.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 58.5%, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 60.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.5%, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 76.9% | 76.2% | 78.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 77.0% | 75.1% | 78.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.3% | 61.8% | 73.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.2% | 60.1% | 63.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 11 South Sudan 63.8% compare
- 12 Mali 63.0% compare
- 13 Guinea-Bissau 61.1% compare
- 15 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 58.5% compare
- 16 Eritrea 55.5% compare
- 17 Equatorial Guinea 55.3% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Ethiopia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -20.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3282 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 306.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7589 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 32.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 32.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Ethiopia?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Ethiopia was 60.1% 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 78.4% in 2003.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.1% in 2025.
- How does Ethiopia rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Ethiopia ranks 14th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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).