Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Japan
Japan: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 2.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Japan, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Japan stood at 2.8%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.4% on the previous year and down 25.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Japan peaked at 7.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 2025.
That places Japan 149th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.2% | — |
| 1992 | 6.9% | -4.5% |
| 1993 | 6.4% | -7.0% |
| 1994 | 6.2% | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 6.1% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 5.9% | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 5.7% | -2.7% |
| 1998 | 5.7% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 5.6% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 5.5% | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 5.2% | -4.1% |
| 2002 | 5.0% | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 5.0% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 4.9% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 4.8% | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 4.6% | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 4.6% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 4.6% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 4.6% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 4.4% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 4.2% | -6.1% |
| 2012 | 4.1% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 3.9% | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 3.8% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 3.5% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 3.4% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 3.1% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 3.0% | -2.9% |
| 2024 | 2.9% | -4.1% |
| 2025 | 2.8% | -2.4% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 2.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.4%, 1.2× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Japan's 2.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 23.6%, 12% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.2% | 5.6% | 7.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.9% | 4.6% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.4% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More agriculture & rural data for Japan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0096 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 323.87 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.0% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Japan?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Japan was 2.8% 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 7.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 2025.
- How does Japan rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Japan ranks 149th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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).