Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 52.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Zimbabwe, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 52.5% 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.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Zimbabwe peaked at 72.4% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 52.5%, in 2023.
That places Zimbabwe 22nd out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 65.4% | — |
| 1992 | 65.8% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 65.6% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 65.0% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 64.9% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 64.2% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 64.0% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 63.7% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 63.9% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 65.5% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 66.5% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 68.6% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 70.9% | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 72.4% | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 72.3% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 72.0% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 71.5% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 72.1% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 69.9% | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 67.2% | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 65.9% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 65.8% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 66.7% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 67.2% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 66.5% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 65.8% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 64.7% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 63.4% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 62.4% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 58.7% | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 53.6% | -8.7% |
| 2022 | 53.3% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 52.5% | -1.5% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 52.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 34.4%, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 52.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.0%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 64.7% | 63.7% | 65.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 70.2% | 65.5% | 72.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.5% | 62.4% | 67.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.6% | 52.5% | 58.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 19 Zambia 55.4% compare
- 20 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 55.1% compare
- 21 Rwanda 54.8% compare
- 23 Armenia 52.3% compare
- 24 Republic of Moldova 51.1% compare
- 25 Guinea-Bissau 50.0% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zimbabwe
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 34.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0947 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 286.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8815 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.595 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Zimbabwe?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Zimbabwe was 52.5% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 72.4% in 2004.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.5% in 2023.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Zimbabwe ranks 22nd 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 Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.