Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 38.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Papua New Guinea, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 38.7% for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in 2023. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 36.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Papua New Guinea peaked at 38.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 25.7%, in 2010.
That places Papua New Guinea 40th out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 32.4% | — |
| 1992 | 32.1% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 31.8% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 31.7% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 31.6% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 31.0% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 31.0% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 30.8% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 30.7% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 30.9% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 30.5% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 30.5% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 30.0% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 29.3% | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 28.7% | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 28.0% | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 27.2% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 27.0% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 26.5% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 25.7% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 26.6% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 27.6% | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 28.5% | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 29.2% | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 30.1% | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 31.2% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 32.3% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 33.4% | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 34.5% | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 36.1% | +4.7% |
| 2021 | 37.3% | +3.5% |
| 2022 | 38.7% | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 38.7% | +0.2% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 38.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 34.4%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 38.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 26.1%, 1.5× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 31.5% | 30.7% | 32.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 28.9% | 26.5% | 30.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.9% | 25.7% | 34.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.7% | 36.1% | 38.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More agriculture & rural data for Papua New Guinea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.3264 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1702 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 495.76 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.8422 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 17.0% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 17.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Papua New Guinea?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Papua New Guinea was 38.7% 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 38.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.7% in 2010.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 40th 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 Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.