Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Middle income
Middle income: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 28.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Middle income, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Middle income recorded 28.6% for employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Middle income peaked at 52.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 28.6%, in 2025.
Middle income ranks 20th 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 Middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 52.8% | — |
| 1992 | 52.2% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 51.1% | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 50.2% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 49.1% | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 48.1% | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 47.5% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 47.4% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 47.4% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 47.2% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 46.8% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 46.4% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 45.6% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 44.2% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 42.9% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 41.6% | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 40.5% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 39.7% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 38.8% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 37.9% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 36.6% | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 35.6% | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 34.4% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 33.3% | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 32.5% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 31.8% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 31.1% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 30.3% | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 29.7% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 30.6% | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 30.0% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 30.1% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 29.7% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 29.1% | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 28.6% | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.5% | 47.4% | 52.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 43.4% | 38.8% | 47.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.3% | 29.7% | 37.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.7% | 28.6% | 30.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle income
- 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
- 22 Burkina Faso 51.8% compare
- 23 Afghanistan 51.6% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Middle income
- Rural population, per capita 0.4459 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.60 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 8.8% (2025)
- Rural population 2.69 billion (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.0% (2025)
- Rural population 44.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0881 current US$ 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 Middle income?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Middle income was 28.6% 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 Middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 52.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.6% in 2025.
- How does Middle income rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Middle income ranks 20th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this 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).