Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Rwanda
Rwanda: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 35.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Rwanda, 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 Rwanda is 35.1%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 4.0% on the previous year and down 35.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Rwanda peaked at 80.9% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 35.1%, in 2025.
That places Rwanda 47th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 79.4% | — |
| 1992 | 79.1% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 80.0% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 80.5% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 80.4% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 80.9% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 80.9% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 80.5% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 79.9% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 79.1% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 78.2% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 76.7% | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 76.0% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 74.5% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 72.6% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 70.5% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 68.5% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 66.0% | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 64.2% | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 62.0% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 59.7% | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 57.4% | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 56.7% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 56.0% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 54.7% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 53.9% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 53.1% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 50.1% | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 47.3% | -5.6% |
| 2020 | 50.1% | +6.1% |
| 2021 | 56.2% | +12.1% |
| 2022 | 55.3% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 51.9% | -6.2% |
| 2024 | 36.5% | -29.6% |
| 2025 | 35.1% | -4.0% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 35.1% is below the median for low income countries, which is 58.5%, 60% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 35.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.5%, 79% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Rwanda changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | -29.6% | 51.9% | 36.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 80.2% | 79.1% | 80.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 72.6% | 64.2% | 79.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.1% | 47.3% | 62.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.5% | 35.1% | 56.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More agriculture & rural data for Rwanda
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.203 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 228.16 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.6953 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6909 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 20.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 20.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Rwanda?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Rwanda was 35.1% 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 80.9% in 1997.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.1% in 2025.
- How does Rwanda rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Rwanda ranks 47th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Rwanda 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).