Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Uganda
Uganda: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 65.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Uganda, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Uganda recorded 65.9% for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in 2023.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Uganda peaked at 83.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 61.4%, in 2019.
Uganda ranks 9th of 186 countries on this measure, 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 Uganda, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 83.5% | — |
| 1992 | 83.4% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 83.2% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 83.1% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 82.6% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 82.3% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 82.1% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 81.8% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 81.4% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 81.2% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 80.9% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 80.2% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 79.8% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 79.3% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 78.8% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 77.9% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 77.2% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 76.5% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 75.9% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 75.4% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 74.6% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 74.2% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 73.9% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 73.1% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 72.3% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 71.5% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 70.7% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 66.3% | -6.2% |
| 2019 | 61.4% | -7.5% |
| 2020 | 64.1% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 66.7% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 66.3% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 65.9% | -0.6% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 65.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 55.1%, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 65.9% 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 | 82.6% | 81.4% | 83.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 78.8% | 75.9% | 81.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.3% | 61.4% | 75.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.7% | 64.1% | 66.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More agriculture & rural data for Uganda
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 22.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2613 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 315.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6806 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 26.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 26.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Uganda?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Uganda was 65.9% 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 Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 83.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.4% in 2019.
- How does Uganda rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Uganda ranks 9th 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 Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uganda 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.