ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland
China, mainland: ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in was 18.7 % in 2025. ▼ Falling
ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland, 1991–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, ilo - ilo modelled estimates — share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland stood at 18.7 %. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and down 22.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ilo - ilo modelled estimates — share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland peaked at 54.4 % in 1991 and was at its lowest, 18.7 %, in 2025.
That places China, mainland 68th 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 — Share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 54.4 % | — |
| 1992 | 53.4 % | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 51.2 % | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 48.9 % | -4.5% |
| 1995 | 46.6 % | -4.7% |
| 1996 | 44.8 % | -3.9% |
| 1997 | 44.4 % | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 44.7 % | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 45.5 % | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 45.8 % | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 46.1 % | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 46.4 % | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 45.6 % | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 43.1 % | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 41 % | -4.9% |
| 2006 | 38.7 % | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 37 % | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 35.8 % | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 34.4 % | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 33 % | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 31 % | -6.1% |
| 2012 | 29.9 % | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 27.5 % | -8.0% |
| 2014 | 25.4 % | -7.6% |
| 2015 | 24.2 % | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 23.4 % | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 22.7 % | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 21.9 % | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 20.8 % | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 19.8 % | -4.8% |
| 2021 | 19.5 % | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 21 % | +7.7% |
| 2023 | 19.7 % | -6.2% |
| 2024 | 19.2 % | -2.5% |
| 2025 | 18.7 % | -2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 48.21 % | 44.4 % | 54.4 % | 9 |
| 2000s | 41.39 % | 34.4 % | 46.4 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.98 % | 20.8 % | 33 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.65 % | 18.7 % | 21 % | 6 |
Countries ranked near China, mainland
More agriculture & rural data for China, mainland
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- Raw hides and skins of sheep or lambs — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
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Frequently asked questions
- What is ilo - ilo modelled estimates — share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland?
- Ilo - ilo modelled estimates — share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland was 18.7 % in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest ilo - ilo modelled estimates — share of employment in agriculture in recorded in China, mainland?
- The highest recorded value was 54.4 % in 1991.
- What is the lowest ilo - ilo modelled estimates — share of employment in agriculture in recorded in China, mainland?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.7 % in 2025.
- How does China, mainland rank for ilo - ilo modelled estimates — share of employment in agriculture in?
- China, mainland ranks 68th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ilo - ilo modelled estimates — share of employment in agriculture in rising or falling in China, mainland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.7%. 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 — Share of employment in agriculture in total employment - ILO Modelled Estimates — Female — 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.