Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique
Mozambique: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 69.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Mozambique recorded 69.5% 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.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique peaked at 86.0% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 69.5%, in 2023.
That places Mozambique 5th 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 Mozambique, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 85.8% | — |
| 1992 | 86.0% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 85.7% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 85.5% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 85.5% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 85.1% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 84.5% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 83.9% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 83.1% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 83.0% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 81.9% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 81.1% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 80.5% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 79.9% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 79.5% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 78.7% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 78.0% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 77.4% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 76.9% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 76.3% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 75.6% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 74.7% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 74.0% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 73.1% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 72.1% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 71.5% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 71.2% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 70.7% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 70.4% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 70.5% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 70.4% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 70.0% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 69.5% | -0.7% |
Mozambique compared with similar countries
- Mozambique's 69.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 55.1%, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Mozambique's 69.5% 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 | 85.0% | 83.1% | 86.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 79.7% | 76.9% | 83.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.0% | 70.4% | 76.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.1% | 69.5% | 70.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mozambique
- 2 Niger 70.6% compare
- 3 Central African Republic 70.5% compare
- 4 Lao People's Democratic Republic 69.6% compare
- 6 Madagascar 69.4% compare
- 7 Chad 69.1% compare
- 8 Mali 67.8% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Mozambique
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -0.2557 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2557 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 160.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6279 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 25.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 25.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique was 69.5% 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 Mozambique?
- The highest recorded value was 86.0% in 1992.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Mozambique?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.5% in 2023.
- How does Mozambique rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Mozambique ranks 5th 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 Mozambique?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mozambique 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.