Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 13.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 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 Iran, Islamic Republic of is 13.6%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 22.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 13.6%, in 2025.
That places Iran, Islamic Republic of 99th 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 Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 22.0% | — |
| 1992 | 21.8% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 21.8% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 21.7% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 21.5% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 21.1% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 21.0% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 20.9% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 20.7% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 20.3% | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 20.1% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 19.5% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 19.0% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 18.7% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 18.4% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 18.1% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 18.5% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 18.3% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 18.3% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 16.3% | -11.0% |
| 2011 | 15.9% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 16.6% | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 16.6% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 16.4% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 16.6% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 16.2% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 16.1% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 16.0% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 16.3% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 16.1% | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 14.9% | -7.3% |
| 2022 | 14.5% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 14.1% | -3.3% |
| 2024 | 13.8% | -2.2% |
| 2025 | 13.6% | -1.0% |
Iran, Islamic Republic of compared with similar countries
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 13.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.5%, 88% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 13.6% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 6.3%, 2.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.4% | 20.7% | 22.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 18.9% | 18.1% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.3% | 15.9% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.5% | 13.6% | 16.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
More agriculture & rural data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -25.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1059 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 415.77 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6359 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2262 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 10.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 10.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 3.0% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 13.6% 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 Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 22.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.6% in 2025.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 99th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of 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
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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).