Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in China
China: Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita was 10.6% in 2011. ▼ Falling
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in China, 1952–2011
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in China is 10.6%, measured in 2011. That is the lowest value across all 60 years on record.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 29.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in China peaked at 51.3% in 1952 and was at its lowest, 10.6%, in 2011.
China ranks 17th of 43 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 60 years of available data.
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in China, year by year
| Year | % GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 51.3% | — |
| 1953 | 46.6% | -9.2% |
| 1954 | 46.4% | -0.4% |
| 1955 | 46.9% | +1.1% |
| 1956 | 43.2% | -7.9% |
| 1957 | 40.9% | -5.3% |
| 1958 | 34.5% | -15.6% |
| 1959 | 27.1% | -21.4% |
| 1960 | 23.9% | -11.8% |
| 1961 | 37.9% | +58.6% |
| 1962 | 41.1% | +8.4% |
| 1963 | 41.9% | +1.9% |
| 1964 | 39.8% | -5.0% |
| 1965 | 39.3% | -1.3% |
| 1966 | 38.8% | -1.3% |
| 1967 | 41.5% | +7.0% |
| 1968 | 43.7% | +5.3% |
| 1969 | 39.2% | -10.3% |
| 1970 | 36.2% | -7.7% |
| 1971 | 34.9% | -3.6% |
| 1972 | 33.8% | -3.2% |
| 1973 | 34.3% | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 34.8% | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 33.3% | -4.3% |
| 1976 | 33.7% | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 30.3% | -10.1% |
| 1978 | 28.9% | -4.6% |
| 1979 | 32.0% | +10.7% |
| 1980 | 31.0% | -3.1% |
| 1981 | 32.7% | +5.5% |
| 1982 | 34.4% | +5.2% |
| 1983 | 34.2% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 33.1% | -3.2% |
| 1985 | 29.3% | -11.5% |
| 1986 | 28.0% | -4.4% |
| 1987 | 27.7% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 26.5% | -4.3% |
| 1989 | 26.0% | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 28.1% | +8.1% |
| 1991 | 25.4% | -9.6% |
| 1992 | 22.7% | -10.6% |
| 1993 | 20.5% | -9.7% |
| 1994 | 20.7% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 20.8% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 20.4% | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 19.0% | -6.9% |
| 1998 | 18.3% | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 17.2% | -6.0% |
| 2000 | 15.7% | -8.7% |
| 2001 | 15.0% | -4.5% |
| 2002 | 14.4% | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 13.4% | -6.9% |
| 2004 | 14.0% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 12.7% | -9.3% |
| 2006 | 11.7% | -7.9% |
| 2007 | 11.4% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 11.3% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 10.9% | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 10.7% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 10.6% | -0.9% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 10.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.7%, 1.4× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- China's 10.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10.6%, 1.0× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | +58.6% | 23.9% | 37.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 42.1% | 27.1% | 51.3% | 8 |
| 1960s | 38.7% | 23.9% | 43.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 33.2% | 28.9% | 36.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 30.3% | 26.0% | 34.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.3% | 17.2% | 28.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.1% | 10.9% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.6% | 10.6% | 10.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3366 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in China?
- Agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in China was 10.6% in 2011, according to Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 51.3% in 1952.
- What is the lowest agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.6% in 2011.
- How does China rank for agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- China ranks 17th out of 43 countries with data for 2011.
- Is agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Agriculture includes the cultivation of crops and livestock production, as well as forestry, hunting, and fishing. GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.