Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Tanzania, United Republic of
Tanzania, United Republic of: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 65.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Tanzania, United Republic of, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Tanzania, United Republic of recorded 65.4% 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.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Tanzania, United Republic of peaked at 84.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 65.4%, in 2023.
That places Tanzania, United Republic of 10th 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 Tanzania, United Republic of, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 84.8% | — |
| 1992 | 84.8% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 84.8% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 84.8% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 84.6% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 84.4% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 84.2% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 83.9% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 83.5% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 83.0% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 82.3% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 80.6% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 78.9% | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 76.9% | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 74.8% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 72.5% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 72.0% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 71.6% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 71.1% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 70.5% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 69.8% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 69.4% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 68.7% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 68.1% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 67.6% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 67.1% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 66.7% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 66.2% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 65.8% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 65.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 66.0% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 65.6% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 65.4% | -0.3% |
Tanzania, United Republic of compared with similar countries
- Tanzania, United Republic of's 65.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 34.4%, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Tanzania, United Republic of's 65.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.0%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 84.4% | 83.5% | 84.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 76.4% | 71.1% | 83.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.0% | 65.8% | 70.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.7% | 65.4% | 66.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania, United Republic of
More agriculture & rural data for Tanzania, United Republic of
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.77 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2291 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 292.74 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6312 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 22.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 22.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.5% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Tanzania, United Republic of?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Tanzania, United Republic of was 65.4% 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 Tanzania, United Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 84.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Tanzania, United Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.4% in 2023.
- How does Tanzania, United Republic of rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Tanzania, United Republic of ranks 10th 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 Tanzania, United Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tanzania, United Republic of 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.