Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Palestine
Palestine: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 6.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Palestine, 1991–2022
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Palestine recorded 6.2% for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in 2022.
The figure is down 6.6% on the previous year and down 45.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Palestine peaked at 17.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 2019.
That places Palestine 126th out of 186 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Palestine, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 17.6% | — |
| 1992 | 17.3% | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 17.1% | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 16.8% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 16.3% | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 16.0% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 15.1% | -5.6% |
| 1998 | 14.5% | -4.6% |
| 1999 | 14.1% | -2.7% |
| 2000 | 14.1% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 12.2% | -12.9% |
| 2002 | 15.4% | +25.7% |
| 2003 | 16.2% | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 16.4% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 15.0% | -8.1% |
| 2006 | 16.7% | +11.4% |
| 2007 | 16.1% | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 13.4% | -16.7% |
| 2009 | 11.8% | -11.6% |
| 2010 | 11.8% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 12.2% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 11.5% | -5.9% |
| 2013 | 10.5% | -8.2% |
| 2014 | 10.4% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 8.7% | -16.7% |
| 2016 | 7.4% | -15.0% |
| 2017 | 6.7% | -8.8% |
| 2018 | 6.3% | -5.8% |
| 2019 | 6.0% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 6.4% | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 6.7% | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 6.2% | -6.6% |
Palestine compared with similar countries
- Palestine's 6.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 34.4%, 18% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Palestine's 6.2% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 6.2%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.1% | 14.1% | 17.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.7% | 11.8% | 16.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.2% | 6.0% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.4% | 6.2% | 6.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Palestine
More agriculture & rural data for Palestine
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -2.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0552 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 167.17 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2685 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1262 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 5.5% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 5.5% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (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 Palestine?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Palestine was 6.2% in 2022, 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 Palestine?
- The highest recorded value was 17.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Palestine?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 2019.
- How does Palestine rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Palestine ranks 126th out of 186 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Palestine?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Palestine 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.