ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO in China, mainland

China, mainland: ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO was 159,883 1000 No in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
159,883 1000 No
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
3rd
of 175 countries
All-time high
382,828 1000 No
in 1991
All-time low
159,883 1000 No
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025

ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO in China, mainland, 1991–2025

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k1991200820251991: 382.8k 1000 No1992: 379.0k 1000 No1993: 367.1k 1000 No1994: 355.4k 1000 No1995: 344.2k 1000 No1996: 335.5k 1000 No1997: 334.5k 1000 No1998: 336.8k 1000 No1999: 341.5k 1000 No2000: 344.1k 1000 No2001: 346.2k 1000 No2002: 349.3k 1000 No2003: 346.3k 1000 No2004: 335.2k 1000 No2005: 324.3k 1000 No2006: 311.9k 1000 No2007: 300.9k 1000 No2008: 292.9k 1000 No2009: 282.7k 1000 No2010: 274.0k 1000 No2011: 261.4k 1000 No2012: 252.6k 1000 No2013: 236.1k 1000 No2014: 222.1k 1000 No2015: 213.3k 1000 No2016: 206.8k 1000 No2017: 200.9k 1000 No2018: 193.7k 1000 No2019: 185.1k 1000 No2020: 172.4k 1000 No2021: 172.2k 1000 No2022: 177.8k 1000 No2023: 169.8k 1000 No2024: 164.0k 1000 No2025: 159.9k 1000 No

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 China, mainland is 159,883 1000 No, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.

The figure is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo in China, mainland peaked at 382,828 1000 No in 1991 and was at its lowest, 159,883 1000 No, in 2025.

That places China, mainland 3rd out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO in China, mainland, year by year

Annual values for ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO modelled estimates — Value in China, mainland, 1991 to 2025.
Year 1000 No Change
1991 382,828 1000 No
1992 378,964 1000 No -1.0%
1993 367,099 1000 No -3.1%
1994 355,443 1000 No -3.2%
1995 344,186 1000 No -3.2%
1996 335,539 1000 No -2.5%
1997 334,471 1000 No -0.3%
1998 336,815 1000 No +0.7%
1999 341,523 1000 No +1.4%
2000 344,050 1000 No +0.7%
2001 346,224 1000 No +0.6%
2002 349,337 1000 No +0.9%
2003 346,310 1000 No -0.9%
2004 335,240 1000 No -3.2%
2005 324,285 1000 No -3.3%
2006 311,881 1000 No -3.8%
2007 300,922 1000 No -3.5%
2008 292,854 1000 No -2.7%
2009 282,669 1000 No -3.5%
2010 273,959 1000 No -3.1%
2011 261,440 1000 No -4.6%
2012 252,595 1000 No -3.4%
2013 236,132 1000 No -6.5%
2014 222,129 1000 No -5.9%
2015 213,256 1000 No -4.0%
2016 206,778 1000 No -3.0%
2017 200,912 1000 No -2.8%
2018 193,650 1000 No -3.6%
2019 185,129 1000 No -4.4%
2020 172,402 1000 No -6.9%
2021 172,219 1000 No -0.1%
2022 177,832 1000 No +3.3%
2023 169,787 1000 No -4.5%
2024 164,022 1000 No -3.4%
2025 159,883 1000 No -2.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 352,985 1000 No 334,471 1000 No 382,828 1000 No 9
2000s 323,377 1000 No 282,669 1000 No 349,337 1000 No 10
2010s 224,598 1000 No 185,129 1000 No 273,959 1000 No 10
2020s 169,358 1000 No 159,883 1000 No 177,832 1000 No 6

Countries ranked near China, mainland

  1. 1 India 246,243 1000 No compare
  2. 2 China 160,415 1000 No compare
  3. 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 21,934 1000 No compare
  4. 4 Indonesia 38,855 1000 No compare
  5. 5 Nigeria 37,896 1000 No compare
  6. 6 Ethiopia 33,014 1000 No compare
  7. 6 Viet Nam 14,068 1000 No compare

See the full ranking of 226 places →

More agriculture & rural data for China, mainland

All data for China, mainland →

Frequently asked questions

What is ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo in China, mainland?
Ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo in China, mainland was 159,883 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 China, mainland?
The highest recorded value was 382,828 1000 No in 1991.
What is the lowest ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo recorded in China, mainland?
The lowest recorded value was 159,883 1000 No in 2025.
How does China, mainland rank for ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo?
China, mainland ranks 3rd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
Is ilo - ilo modelled estimates — employment in agriculture - ilo rising or falling in China, mainland?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China, mainland 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 — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO in China, mainland. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/ilo-ilo-modelled-estimates-employment-in-agriculture-ilo-modelled-estimates-value/china-mainland/

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About this data

Indicator
ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO modelled estimates — Value
Unit
1000 No
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
226 places, 7,893 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

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.