Employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: Off-farm in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: Off-farm was 31,100 1000 No in 2023. ▲ Rising
Employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: Off-farm 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: off-farm in Sub-Saharan Africa is 31,100 1000 No, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 28.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: off-farm in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 31,140 1000 No in 2022 and was at its lowest, 13,834 1000 No, in 2000.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7th 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: Off-farm in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | 1000 No | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 13,834 1000 No | — |
| 2001 | 14,407 1000 No | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 15,377 1000 No | +6.7% |
| 2003 | 16,005 1000 No | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 17,056 1000 No | +6.6% |
| 2005 | 18,274 1000 No | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 18,267 1000 No | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 18,982 1000 No | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 19,993 1000 No | +5.3% |
| 2009 | 21,137 1000 No | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 21,676 1000 No | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 22,048 1000 No | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 23,219 1000 No | +5.3% |
| 2013 | 24,215 1000 No | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 25,329 1000 No | +4.6% |
| 2015 | 25,915 1000 No | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 26,697 1000 No | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 27,126 1000 No | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 27,836 1000 No | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 26,345 1000 No | -5.4% |
| 2020 | 28,054 1000 No | +6.5% |
| 2021 | 29,927 1000 No | +6.7% |
| 2022 | 31,140 1000 No | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 31,100 1000 No | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17,333 1000 No | 13,834 1000 No | 21,137 1000 No | 10 |
| 2010s | 25,041 1000 No | 21,676 1000 No | 27,836 1000 No | 10 |
| 2020s | 30,055 1000 No | 28,054 1000 No | 31,140 1000 No | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 4 China, mainland 12,238 1000 No compare
- 5 Bangladesh 12,136 1000 No compare
- 5 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 2,971 1000 No compare
- 6 Nigeria 11,326 1000 No compare
- 6 United Republic of Tanzania 2,454 1000 No compare
- 7 Brazil 7,718 1000 No compare
- 8 Democratic Republic of the Congo 887.42 1000 No compare
- 8 Mexico 5,353 1000 No compare
- 9 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 599.01 1000 No compare
- 9 Philippines 4,972 1000 No compare
- 10 Egypt 4,110 1000 No compare
- 10 Melanesia 280.66 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: off-farm in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: off-farm in Sub-Saharan Africa was 31,100 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: off-farm recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 31,140 1000 No in 2022.
- What is the lowest employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: off-farm recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 13,834 1000 No in 2000.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: off-farm?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7th out of 30 groups with data for 2023.
- Is employment in agrifood systems by subindustry and sex: off-farm rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.4%. 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: Off-farm agrifood systems — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Non-agricultural agrifood systems. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.