Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Philippines
Philippines: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 22.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Philippines, 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 Philippines is 22.4%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 28.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Philippines peaked at 45.8% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 22.4%, in 2023.
Philippines ranks 78th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 Philippines, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 45.3% | — |
| 1992 | 45.5% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 45.8% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 44.7% | -2.4% |
| 1995 | 44.1% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 41.7% | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 40.4% | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 38.6% | -4.3% |
| 1999 | 38.8% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 37.1% | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 36.7% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 36.4% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 36.0% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 35.6% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 35.1% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 34.7% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 34.2% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 33.9% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 33.6% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 33.0% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 32.6% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 32.2% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 31.0% | -3.5% |
| 2014 | 30.4% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 29.2% | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 27.0% | -7.5% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 24.3% | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 22.9% | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 24.8% | +8.4% |
| 2021 | 24.3% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 22.8% | -6.1% |
| 2023 | 22.4% | -2.1% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 22.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.1%, 1.3× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 22.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 26.1%, 86% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.8% | 38.6% | 45.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 35.3% | 33.6% | 37.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.8% | 22.9% | 33.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.6% | 22.4% | 24.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
More agriculture & rural data for Philippines
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -0.2488 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0859 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 358.34 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0874 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4423 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Philippines?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Philippines was 22.4% 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 Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 45.8% in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.4% in 2023.
- How does Philippines rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Philippines ranks 78th 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 Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Philippines 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.