Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Barbados
Barbados: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 2.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Barbados, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Barbados stood at 2.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Barbados peaked at 6.2% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2005.
That places Barbados 153rd 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 Barbados, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.5% | — |
| 1992 | 6.2% | +13.0% |
| 1993 | 5.6% | -11.0% |
| 1994 | 5.3% | -4.5% |
| 1995 | 4.6% | -12.6% |
| 1996 | 5.3% | +13.5% |
| 1997 | 5.3% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 4.4% | -15.8% |
| 1999 | 4.3% | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 3.7% | -13.7% |
| 2001 | 4.2% | +12.9% |
| 2002 | 4.0% | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 4.6% | +12.7% |
| 2004 | 3.4% | -25.2% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | -30.2% |
| 2006 | 3.6% | +51.7% |
| 2007 | 3.0% | -16.7% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | -6.2% |
| 2009 | 3.0% | +6.4% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 3.0% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 3.0% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 2.8% | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 2.9% | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 2.9% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 3.1% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 2.8% | -8.6% |
| 2020 | 2.8% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 2.6% | -3.2% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 2.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.6%, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 2.6% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12.0%, 22% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Barbados changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +51.7% | 2.4% | 3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.2% | 4.3% | 6.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.5% | 2.4% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
More agriculture & rural data for Barbados
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -1.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0155 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.19 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3404 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.403 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.6% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Barbados?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Barbados was 2.6% 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 Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 6.2% in 1992.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2005.
- How does Barbados rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Barbados ranks 153rd 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 Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Barbados 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.