Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Maldives
Maldives: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 11.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Maldives, 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 Maldives is 11.3%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.8% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Maldives peaked at 27.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 9.2%, in 2016.
That places Maldives 106th 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 Maldives, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 27.5% | — |
| 1992 | 27.1% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 26.8% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 26.4% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 25.6% | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 24.3% | -5.3% |
| 1997 | 22.8% | -6.1% |
| 1998 | 21.4% | -6.1% |
| 1999 | 20.1% | -6.1% |
| 2000 | 18.8% | -6.4% |
| 2001 | 18.8% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 18.3% | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 17.8% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 17.1% | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 17.2% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 16.0% | -6.7% |
| 2007 | 15.4% | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 14.6% | -5.1% |
| 2009 | 14.0% | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 13.3% | -5.4% |
| 2011 | 12.4% | -6.3% |
| 2012 | 11.9% | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 11.2% | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 10.4% | -6.6% |
| 2015 | 9.8% | -5.5% |
| 2016 | 9.2% | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 10.5% | +13.7% |
| 2018 | 11.8% | +12.4% |
| 2019 | 13.3% | +12.3% |
| 2020 | 13.3% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 13.0% | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 12.4% | -4.9% |
| 2023 | 12.0% | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 11.6% | -3.2% |
| 2025 | 11.3% | -2.8% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 11.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.5%, 73% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 11.3% is below the median for South Asia, which is 33.7%, 34% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.7% | 20.1% | 27.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 16.8% | 14.0% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.4% | 9.2% | 13.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.3% | 11.3% | 13.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
More agriculture & rural data for Maldives
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 30.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0459 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 670.93 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.5233 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5749 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Maldives?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Maldives was 11.3% 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 Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 27.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.2% in 2016.
- How does Maldives rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Maldives ranks 106th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Maldives 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).