Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Nepal
Nepal: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 22.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Nepal, 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 Nepal is 22.9%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Nepal peaked at 39.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 22.9%, in 2025.
That places Nepal 77th 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 Nepal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 39.7% | — |
| 1992 | 39.0% | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 38.2% | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 37.0% | -3.1% |
| 1995 | 36.1% | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 35.2% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 35.5% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 35.8% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 35.8% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 35.3% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 34.9% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 35.0% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 34.4% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 33.8% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 33.2% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 32.6% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 31.9% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 31.3% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 30.5% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 29.8% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 29.3% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 28.6% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 28.0% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 27.0% | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 26.3% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 26.1% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 24.5% | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 23.8% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 25.0% | +5.0% |
| 2021 | 25.0% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 24.3% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 24.0% | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 23.5% | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 22.9% | -2.4% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 22.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.4%, 65% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 22.9% is below the median for South Asia, which is 33.7%, 68% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 36.9% | 35.2% | 39.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 33.3% | 30.5% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.9% | 23.8% | 29.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.1% | 22.9% | 25.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More agriculture & rural data for Nepal
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2156 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 331.1 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.7937 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.33 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Nepal?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Nepal was 22.9% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 39.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.9% in 2025.
- How does Nepal rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Nepal ranks 77th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nepal 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).