Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in OECD members
OECD members: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 4.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in OECD members, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
OECD members recorded 4.3% for employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 18.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in OECD members peaked at 9.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 2025.
That places OECD members 42nd out of 47 groups 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 OECD members, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 9.7% | — |
| 1992 | 9.4% | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 9.1% | -3.9% |
| 1994 | 9.0% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 8.8% | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 8.5% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 8.4% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 8.0% | -4.5% |
| 1999 | 7.9% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 7.3% | -7.4% |
| 2001 | 7.2% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 6.9% | -4.3% |
| 2003 | 6.7% | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 6.3% | -6.6% |
| 2005 | 6.1% | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 5.8% | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 5.6% | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 5.5% | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 5.5% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 5.6% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 5.6% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 5.5% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 5.4% | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 5.3% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 5.3% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 5.1% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 5.1% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 5.0% | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 4.9% | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 4.8% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 4.8% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 4.6% | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 4.5% | -3.5% |
| 2024 | 4.3% | -3.1% |
| 2025 | 4.3% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.8% | 7.9% | 9.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.3% | 5.5% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.3% | 4.9% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.6% | 4.3% | 4.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
More agriculture & rural data for OECD members
- Rural population, per capita 0.1868 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 977.64 billion current US$ (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.4% (2024)
- Rural population 262.00 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.3% (2025)
- Rural population 18.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.3% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0143 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in OECD members?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in OECD members was 4.3% 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 9.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 2025.
- How does OECD members rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- OECD members ranks 42nd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this OECD members 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).