Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 31.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Low & middle income, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Low & middle income stood at 31.4%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Low & middle income peaked at 53.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 31.4%, in 2025.
Low & middle income ranks 18th of 47 groups on this measure, 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 Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 53.7% | — |
| 1992 | 53.2% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 52.2% | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 51.3% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 50.3% | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 49.4% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 48.9% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 48.8% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 48.8% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 48.6% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 48.2% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 47.9% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 47.2% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 45.8% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 44.6% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 43.4% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 42.3% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 41.6% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 40.7% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 39.8% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 38.7% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 37.7% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 36.7% | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 35.7% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 34.8% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 34.2% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 33.6% | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 32.8% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 32.1% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 33.2% | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 32.7% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 32.8% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 32.4% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 31.8% | -1.8% |
| 2025 | 31.4% | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 50.7% | 48.8% | 53.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 45.0% | 40.7% | 48.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.6% | 32.1% | 39.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.4% | 31.4% | 33.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
- 15 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 58.5% compare
- 16 Eritrea 55.5% compare
- 17 Equatorial Guinea 55.3% compare
- 18 Zambia 54.5% compare
- 19 Zimbabwe 54.3% compare
- 20 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 54.1% compare
- 21 Angola 51.9% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Low & middle income
- Rural population, per capita 0.4688 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.77 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 9.1% (2025)
- Rural population 3.18 billion (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Rural population 46.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0909 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Low & middle income?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Low & middle income was 31.4% 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 Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 53.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.4% in 2025.
- How does Low & middle income rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Low & middle income ranks 18th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Low & middle income 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).