Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Central African Republic
Central African Republic: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 70.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Central African Republic, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Central African Republic recorded 70.5% 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 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Central African Republic peaked at 77.4% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 70.5%, in 2023.
That places Central African Republic 3rd out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
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 Central African Republic, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 77.1% | — |
| 1992 | 77.4% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 77.4% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 77.2% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 76.9% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 77.1% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 76.9% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 76.6% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 76.3% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 76.6% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 76.2% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 75.8% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 76.4% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 75.8% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 75.7% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 75.2% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 74.7% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 74.4% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 73.5% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 73.0% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 72.4% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 71.7% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 74.2% | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 73.9% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 73.1% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 72.5% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 71.9% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 71.3% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 70.9% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 71.0% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 70.9% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 70.6% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 70.5% | -0.0% |
Central African Republic compared with similar countries
- Central African Republic's 70.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 55.1%, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Central African Republic's 70.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.0%, 1.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 77.0% | 76.3% | 77.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 75.4% | 73.5% | 76.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 72.5% | 70.9% | 74.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.8% | 70.5% | 71.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Central African Republic
- 1 Burundi 85.1% compare
- 2 Niger 70.6% compare
- 4 Lao People's Democratic Republic 69.6% compare
- 5 Mozambique 69.5% compare
- 6 Madagascar 69.4% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Central African Republic
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.27 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2761 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 153.53 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5545 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 27.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 27.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 5.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Central African Republic?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Central African Republic was 70.5% 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 Central African Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 77.4% in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Central African Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.5% in 2023.
- How does Central African Republic rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Central African Republic ranks 3rd 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 Central African Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Central African Republic 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.