Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Small states
Small states: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 15.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Small states, 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 Small states is 15.4%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Small states peaked at 24.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 15.4%, in 2025.
Small states ranks 32nd 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 Small states, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 24.7% | — |
| 1992 | 24.2% | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 23.6% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 23.2% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 22.1% | -4.6% |
| 1996 | 21.7% | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 21.5% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 20.8% | -3.1% |
| 1999 | 20.3% | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 19.4% | -4.2% |
| 2001 | 19.4% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 19.3% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 19.1% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 18.5% | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 18.3% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 18.1% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 17.8% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 17.5% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 17.7% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 17.7% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 17.5% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 17.3% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 17.0% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 16.9% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 16.9% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 16.5% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 16.2% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 15.8% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 15.4% | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 16.1% | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 16.0% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 15.9% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 15.7% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 15.5% | -1.5% |
| 2025 | 15.4% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.5% | 20.3% | 24.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 18.5% | 17.5% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.7% | 15.4% | 17.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.7% | 15.4% | 16.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Small states
- 29 Côte d'Ivoire 45.4% compare
- 30 Myanmar 45.0% compare
- 31 Vanuatu 44.5% compare
- 32 Sierra Leone 44.5% compare
- 33 Bangladesh 44.3% compare
- 34 Tajikistan 43.3% compare
- 35 Solomon Islands 42.5% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Small states
- Rural population, per capita 0.479 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 12.45 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.7% (2025)
- Rural population 9.75 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Rural population 47.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.2% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0369 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- 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 Small states?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Small states was 15.4% 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 Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 24.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.4% in 2025.
- How does Small states rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Small states ranks 32nd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Small states 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).