Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 46.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 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 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of stood at 46.8%. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of peaked at 57.1% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 46.8%, in 2023.
That places Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 26th 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 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 57.1% | — |
| 1992 | 57.1% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 57.1% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 57.1% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 57.1% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 57.1% | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 57.1% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 57.0% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 56.5% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 56.2% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 55.7% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 55.3% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 54.7% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 54.3% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 53.7% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 53.3% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 52.9% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 52.3% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 51.9% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 51.5% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 51.1% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 50.7% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 50.2% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 49.7% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 49.3% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 48.7% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 48.5% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 48.3% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 47.8% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 47.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 47.6% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 47.2% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 46.8% | -0.8% |
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of compared with similar countries
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of's 46.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 55.1%, 85% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of's 46.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 26.1%, 1.8× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.0% | 56.5% | 57.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 54.0% | 51.9% | 56.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.6% | 47.8% | 51.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.4% | 46.8% | 47.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- 23 Armenia 52.3% compare
- 24 Republic of Moldova 51.1% compare
- 25 Guinea-Bissau 50.0% compare
- 27 Afghanistan 45.5% compare
- 28 Côte d'Ivoire 45.2% compare
- 29 Myanmar 45.2% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- Rural population 35.8% (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.6% (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3581 units per person (2025)
- Rural population 9.52 million (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6454 % change on previous year (2025)
- Land under cereal production 1.35 million hectares (2024)
- Cereal production 4.89 million metric tons (2024)
- Cereal yield vs. GDP per capita 3.61 kg per hectare (2024)
- Aquaculture production 685,700 metric tons (2024)
- Milk per animal 2,342 kilograms per animal (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of was 46.8% 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 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 57.1% in 1992.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.8% in 2023.
- How does Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 26th 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 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 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.