ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO in South Africa
South Africa: ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO was 665.1 1000 No in 2025. ▼ Falling
ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO in South Africa, 1991–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 No.
Analysis
The most recent figure for ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo in South Africa is 665.1 1000 No, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo in South Africa peaked at 908.43 1000 No in 2002 and was at its lowest, 442.22 1000 No, in 2011.
That places South Africa 61st out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO in South Africa, year by year
| Year | 1000 No | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 792.81 1000 No | — |
| 1992 | 802.56 1000 No | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 828.44 1000 No | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 835.5 1000 No | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 813.66 1000 No | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 795.87 1000 No | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 782.09 1000 No | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 783.57 1000 No | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 777.33 1000 No | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 763.75 1000 No | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 813.19 1000 No | +6.5% |
| 2002 | 908.43 1000 No | +11.7% |
| 2003 | 854.28 1000 No | -6.0% |
| 2004 | 764.3 1000 No | -10.5% |
| 2005 | 603.2 1000 No | -21.1% |
| 2006 | 575.77 1000 No | -4.5% |
| 2007 | 581.4 1000 No | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 573.54 1000 No | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 506.94 1000 No | -11.6% |
| 2010 | 464.54 1000 No | -8.4% |
| 2011 | 442.22 1000 No | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 478.79 1000 No | +8.3% |
| 2013 | 524.69 1000 No | +9.6% |
| 2014 | 500.75 1000 No | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 612.59 1000 No | +22.3% |
| 2016 | 626.77 1000 No | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 591.45 1000 No | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 576.87 1000 No | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 607.43 1000 No | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 585.66 1000 No | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 628.88 1000 No | +7.4% |
| 2022 | 620.28 1000 No | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 651.51 1000 No | +5.0% |
| 2024 | 665.31 1000 No | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 665.1 1000 No | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 801.31 1000 No | 777.33 1000 No | 835.5 1000 No | 9 |
| 2000s | 694.48 1000 No | 506.94 1000 No | 908.43 1000 No | 10 |
| 2010s | 542.61 1000 No | 442.22 1000 No | 626.77 1000 No | 10 |
| 2020s | 636.12 1000 No | 585.66 1000 No | 665.31 1000 No | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 58 Nepal 721.17 1000 No compare
- 59 Togo 711.86 1000 No compare
- 60 Iraq 701.22 1000 No compare
- 62 Papua New Guinea 665.05 1000 No compare
- 63 Sierra Leone 649.03 1000 No compare
- 64 Central African Republic 646.66 1000 No compare
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo in South Africa?
- Ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo in South Africa was 665.1 1000 No in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 908.43 1000 No in 2002.
- What is the lowest ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 442.22 1000 No in 2011.
- How does South Africa rank for ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo?
- South Africa ranks 61st out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO modelled estimates — Male — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The FAOSTAT Employment indicators domain focuses on indicators related to employment in agrifood systems and rural areas. The update is performed yearly, using data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) database that contains a rich set of indicators from a wide range of topics related to labour statistics. The indicators published in FAOSTAT are derived from the labour force statistics (LFS) and rural and urban labour markets (RURURB) databases of the ILOSTAT database. In addition, the ILO modelled estimates and projections (ILOEST) are used to provide information on employment in agriculture. FAOSTAT also publishes indicators on employment in agrifood systems (AFS) from 2000 at the national, regional, and global levels, using a methodology developed by the FAO to estimate the number of people employed within these systems.