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 21.7 % 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
China, mainland recorded 21.7 % for ilo - ilo modelled estimates — share of employment in agriculture in in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ilo - ilo modelled estimates — share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland peaked at 59.6 % in 1991 and was at its lowest, 21.7 %, in 2025.
China, mainland ranks 72nd of 175 countries on this measure, 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 | 59.6 % | — |
| 1992 | 58.5 % | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 56.4 % | -3.6% |
| 1994 | 54.3 % | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 52.2 % | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 50.5 % | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 49.9 % | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 49.8 % | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 50.1 % | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 50 % | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 50 % | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 50 % | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 49.1 % | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 46.9 % | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 44.8 % | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 42.6 % | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 40.8 % | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 39.6 % | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 38.1 % | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 36.7 % | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 34.8 % | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 33.6 % | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 31.4 % | -6.5% |
| 2014 | 29.5 % | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 28.3 % | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 27.4 % | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 26.7 % | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 25.8 % | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 24.7 % | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 23.6 % | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 22.9 % | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 24.1 % | +5.2% |
| 2023 | 22.8 % | -5.4% |
| 2024 | 22.2 % | -2.6% |
| 2025 | 21.7 % | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 53.48 % | 49.8 % | 59.6 % | 9 |
| 2000s | 45.19 % | 38.1 % | 50 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.89 % | 24.7 % | 36.7 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.88 % | 21.7 % | 24.1 % | 6 |
Countries ranked near China, mainland
- 69 Honduras 22.4 % compare
- 70 Namibia 22.3 % compare
- 71 Turkmenistan 21.9 % compare
- 73 China 21.29 % compare
- 74 Philippines 20.5 % compare
- 75 Western Sahara 18.6 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for China, mainland
- Raw milk of cattle — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual growth rate 3.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep fat, unrendered — Producing Animals/Slaughtered, annual growth -3.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep fat, unrendered — Production, annual growth rate -2.54 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep — Stocks, annual growth rate -5.21 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw milk of cattle — Milk Animals, annual growth rate -6.19 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw milk of cattle — Production, annual growth rate -2.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw hides and skins of sheep or lambs — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw hides and skins of goats or kids — Production, annual growth rate -2.54 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw hides and skins of goats or kids — Producing Animals/Slaughtered -8.07 % change on previous year (2024)
- Beef and Buffalo Meat, primary — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual growth 2 % change on previous year (2024)
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 21.7 % 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 59.6 % 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 21.7 % in 2025.
- How does China, mainland rank for ilo - ilo modelled estimates — share of employment in agriculture in?
- China, mainland ranks 72nd 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 23.3%. 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 — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
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.