Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in South Asia
South Asia: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 41.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in South Asia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
South Asia recorded 41.5% for employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in 2025.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in South Asia peaked at 63.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 40.2%, in 2019.
That places South Asia 11th out of 47 groups 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 South Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 63.2% | — |
| 1992 | 63.0% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 62.6% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 62.4% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 61.9% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 61.3% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 61.1% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 60.7% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 60.0% | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 59.8% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 58.8% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 57.7% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 56.3% | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 55.1% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 54.0% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 53.3% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 52.4% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 51.9% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 51.0% | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 50.1% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 48.3% | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 46.5% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 45.6% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 44.7% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 43.7% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 42.7% | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 41.6% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 40.8% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 40.2% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 43.9% | +9.2% |
| 2021 | 43.5% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 42.5% | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 43.3% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 42.2% | -2.5% |
| 2025 | 41.5% | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 61.8% | 60.0% | 63.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 55.0% | 51.0% | 59.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.4% | 40.2% | 50.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.8% | 41.5% | 43.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
- 8 Malawi 65.0% compare
- 9 Uganda 64.9% compare
- 10 Tanzania, United Republic of 64.6% compare
- 11 South Sudan 63.8% compare
- 12 Mali 63.0% compare
- 13 Guinea-Bissau 61.1% compare
- 14 Ethiopia 60.1% compare
More agriculture & rural data for South Asia
- Rural population, per capita 0.6421 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 714.12 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 15.6% (2025)
- Rural population 1.09 billion (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Rural population 64.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.0% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.156 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in South Asia?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in South Asia was 41.5% 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 63.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.2% in 2019.
- How does South Asia rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- South Asia ranks 11th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Asia 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).