Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Australia
Australia: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 2.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Australia, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 2.1% for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 18.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Australia peaked at 5.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 2023.
That places Australia 159th out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom 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 Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.4% | — |
| 1992 | 5.1% | -5.7% |
| 1993 | 5.1% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 4.9% | -4.2% |
| 1995 | 4.8% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 4.8% | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 4.9% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 4.8% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 4.9% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 4.9% | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 4.8% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 4.4% | -7.8% |
| 2003 | 3.9% | -10.7% |
| 2004 | 3.7% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 3.6% | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 3.4% | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 3.3% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 3.2% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | -12.7% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 2.6% | -6.6% |
| 2014 | 2.8% | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 2.6% | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 2.6% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 2.6% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 2.6% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 2.6% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 2.8% | +8.1% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | -9.9% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | -12.6% |
| 2023 | 2.1% | -1.4% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 2.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.6%, 82% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Australia's 2.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 26.1%, 8% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.0% | 4.8% | 5.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 3.2% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.7% | 2.6% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Australia?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Australia was 2.1% 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 Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 2023.
- How does Australia rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Australia ranks 159th 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 Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.