Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 0.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 0.9%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 25.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 2.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2022.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 181st of 187 countries on this measure, 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.4% | — |
| 1992 | 2.3% | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 2.3% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | -5.1% |
| 1997 | 2.1% | -4.8% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | -7.3% |
| 1999 | 1.7% | -9.5% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 1.6% | -9.2% |
| 2002 | 1.5% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | -9.9% |
| 2004 | 1.4% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 1.4% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | -23.0% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | +9.7% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | -10.8% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | +17.3% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | -8.0% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -7.9% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -9.6% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | -8.7% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | -15.7% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | +16.0% |
| 2024 | 0.9% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 0.9% | -2.5% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 0.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.4%, 35% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 0.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.3%, 20% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.2% | 1.7% | 2.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More agriculture & rural data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0064 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 368.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1852 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1668 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2025)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 0.9% 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.4% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2022.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 181st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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).