Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Malta
Malta: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 1.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Malta, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Malta is 1.1%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 38.7% on the previous year and down 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Malta peaked at 2.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2022.
Malta ranks 176th of 186 countries on this measure, 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 Malta, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.7% | — |
| 1992 | 2.6% | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 2.6% | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 2.5% | -2.4% |
| 1995 | 2.4% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 2.3% | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 2.2% | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | -5.7% |
| 2001 | 2.3% | +14.8% |
| 2002 | 2.3% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 2.5% | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 2.3% | -8.3% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | -7.1% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 1.8% | -10.5% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | -18.2% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | -8.5% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | -12.8% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | -10.5% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | +21.0% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | +14.6% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -20.4% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | -14.5% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | +7.7% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | -20.3% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | -7.8% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | +38.7% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 1.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.6%, 42% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Malta's 1.1% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 6.2%, 18% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.5% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malta
More agriculture & rural data for Malta
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0047 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 224.75 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0432 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Malta?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Malta was 1.1% 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 2.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2022.
- How does Malta rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Malta ranks 176th 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 Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malta 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.