Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 45.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Afghanistan, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 45.5% for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Afghanistan peaked at 68.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 44.0%, in 2017.
That places Afghanistan 27th out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 68.0% | — |
| 1992 | 67.9% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 67.9% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 67.9% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 67.5% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 67.2% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 66.9% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 66.5% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 66.1% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 65.7% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 65.0% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 64.2% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 63.5% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 62.5% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 61.7% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 60.9% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 60.2% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 59.0% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 57.1% | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 54.6% | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 52.8% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 50.4% | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 47.7% | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 44.8% | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 44.3% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 44.4% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 44.0% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 44.2% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 45.1% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 46.0% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 46.0% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 45.6% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 45.5% | -0.3% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 45.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 55.1%, 83% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 45.5% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 6.2%, 7.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 67.3% | 66.1% | 68.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 62.0% | 57.1% | 65.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.2% | 44.0% | 54.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.7% | 45.5% | 46.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 24 Republic of Moldova 51.1% compare
- 25 Guinea-Bissau 50.0% compare
- 26 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 46.8% compare
- 28 Côte d'Ivoire 45.2% compare
- 29 Myanmar 45.2% compare
- 30 Haiti 44.7% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Afghanistan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3429 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 142.96 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0018 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7406 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 34.3% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 34.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 21.0% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Afghanistan?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Afghanistan was 45.5% in 2023, according to ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 68.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.0% in 2017.
- How does Afghanistan rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Afghanistan ranks 27th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of people employed in agriculture includes working-age people with a job in farming, forestry, fishing, and related activities, including those temporarily absent.