Employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: Agriculture was 130,057 1000 No in 2023. ▲ Rising
Employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 No.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa is 130,057 1000 No, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 22.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 130,057 1000 No in 2023 and was at its lowest, 80,265 1000 No, in 2000.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 5th of 30 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | 1000 No | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 80,265 1000 No | — |
| 2001 | 82,451 1000 No | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 84,708 1000 No | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 86,870 1000 No | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 88,664 1000 No | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 90,626 1000 No | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 92,512 1000 No | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 94,262 1000 No | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 96,162 1000 No | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 97,859 1000 No | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 98,642 1000 No | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 100,794 1000 No | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 102,467 1000 No | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 105,836 1000 No | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 106,948 1000 No | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 108,735 1000 No | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 111,342 1000 No | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 112,672 1000 No | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 114,053 1000 No | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 115,267 1000 No | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 119,913 1000 No | +4.0% |
| 2021 | 123,460 1000 No | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 126,993 1000 No | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 130,057 1000 No | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 89,438 1000 No | 80,265 1000 No | 97,859 1000 No | 10 |
| 2010s | 107,676 1000 No | 98,642 1000 No | 115,267 1000 No | 10 |
| 2020s | 125,106 1000 No | 119,913 1000 No | 130,057 1000 No | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 2 China, mainland 102,853 1000 No compare
- 3 Indonesia 25,179 1000 No compare
- 4 Nigeria 24,394 1000 No compare
- 4 United Republic of Tanzania 10,197 1000 No compare
- 5 Democratic Republic of the Congo 9,104 1000 No compare
- 5 Ethiopia 20,630 1000 No compare
- 6 Pakistan 16,694 1000 No compare
- 6 Viet Nam 7,816 1000 No compare
- 7 Bangladesh 13,468 1000 No compare
- 7 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 4,503 1000 No compare
- 8 Philippines 7,921 1000 No compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa was 130,057 1000 No in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: agriculture recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 130,057 1000 No in 2023.
- What is the lowest employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: agriculture recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 80,265 1000 No in 2000.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: agriculture?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 5th out of 30 groups with data for 2023.
- Is employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: agriculture rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: Agriculture — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Suite of Gender Indicators presents a set of indicators relevant to agrifood systems that are disaggregated by sex, with the aim of highlighting gender differences across agrifood systems. The initial set of indicators is based on those used in FAO’s 2023 Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (SWAFS) report and on the recommendations of an expert consultation held in December 2023, and covers key dimensions including economic participation, governance, agency, social norms, assets and services, education, health, and nutrition. Indicator selection was informed by expert judgment and by the availability of data with sufficient geographic and temporal coverage to enable meaningful comparisons across regions and over time. While most indicators are produced and published by FAO and other international organizations, the objective of this domain is to provide a one-stop shop for sex-disaggregated data on agrifood systems.