Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Norway
Norway: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 2.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Norway, 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 Norway stood at 2.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.1% on the previous year and up 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Norway peaked at 5.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2015.
That places Norway 156th 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 Norway, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.8% | — |
| 1992 | 5.5% | -4.7% |
| 1993 | 5.5% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 5.3% | -4.7% |
| 1995 | 5.5% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 5.4% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 5.1% | -5.5% |
| 1998 | 4.7% | -6.9% |
| 1999 | 4.6% | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 4.3% | -6.7% |
| 2001 | 4.1% | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 3.9% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 3.8% | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 3.6% | -6.4% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | -7.9% |
| 2006 | 3.3% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 2.9% | -11.9% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | -7.8% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | -5.6% |
| 2011 | 2.4% | -7.0% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -6.0% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | -10.7% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 2.1% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 2.3% | +10.9% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | -6.5% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | +14.1% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 2.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.6%, 96% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Norway's 2.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.9%, 51% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.3% | 4.6% | 5.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 2.6% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More agriculture & rural data for Norway
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0164 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,553 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.7644 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1643 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Norway?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Norway was 2.5% 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 5.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2015.
- How does Norway rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Norway ranks 156th 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 Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Norway 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.