Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Yemen
Yemen: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 31.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Yemen, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Yemen stood at 31.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Yemen peaked at 61.6% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 29.2%, in 2010.
Yemen ranks 56th of 187 countries 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 Yemen, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 59.8% | — |
| 1992 | 59.7% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 59.6% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 59.5% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 60.1% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 60.7% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 61.1% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 61.6% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 59.0% | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 54.8% | -7.1% |
| 2001 | 50.3% | -8.1% |
| 2002 | 45.7% | -9.3% |
| 2003 | 41.0% | -10.1% |
| 2004 | 36.3% | -11.5% |
| 2005 | 34.8% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 33.5% | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 32.4% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 31.3% | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 30.4% | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 29.2% | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 30.2% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 29.8% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 29.3% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 29.2% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 30.5% | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 30.8% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 31.0% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 30.7% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 30.4% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 32.1% | +5.6% |
| 2021 | 32.5% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 32.1% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 32.0% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 31.8% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 31.6% | -0.6% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 31.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 58.5%, 54% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 31.6% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 6.3%, 5.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 60.1% | 59.0% | 61.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 39.1% | 30.4% | 54.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.1% | 29.2% | 31.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.0% | 31.6% | 32.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
More agriculture & rural data for Yemen
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -14.18 % change on previous year (2018)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2875 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2018)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 182.21 current US$ per person (2018)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.001 units per US$ of GDP (2018)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6297 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 28.7% (2018)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 28.7% (2018)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Yemen?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Yemen was 31.6% 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 Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 61.6% in 1998.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.2% in 2010.
- How does Yemen rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Yemen ranks 56th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Yemen 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).