Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in South Sudan
South Sudan: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 59.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in South Sudan, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Sudan recorded 59.2% for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in South Sudan peaked at 68.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 58.7%, in 2014.
That places South Sudan 15th 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 South Sudan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 68.0% | — |
| 1992 | 67.7% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 67.5% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 67.4% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 67.2% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 67.0% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 66.4% | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 66.1% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 65.8% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 65.3% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 64.8% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 64.3% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 63.7% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 63.2% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 62.7% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 62.1% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 61.5% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 61.0% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 60.8% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 60.3% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 60.4% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 60.3% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 59.3% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 58.7% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 59.1% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 59.7% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 60.0% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 60.1% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 59.9% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 60.0% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 59.9% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 59.5% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 59.2% | -0.3% |
South Sudan compared with similar countries
- South Sudan's 59.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 55.1%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- South Sudan's 59.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.0%, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 67.0% | 65.8% | 68.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 62.9% | 60.8% | 65.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.8% | 58.7% | 60.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.7% | 59.2% | 60.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Sudan
More agriculture & rural data for South Sudan
- Rural population, per capita 0.7832 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 17.13 % change on previous year (2015)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1036 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2015)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 111.85 current US$ per person (2015)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2015)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 10.4% (2015)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 10.4% (2015)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.24 billion current US$ (2015)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 10.4% (2015)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in South Sudan?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in South Sudan was 59.2% 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 South Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 68.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in South Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.7% in 2014.
- How does South Sudan rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- South Sudan ranks 15th 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 South Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Sudan 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.