ILOSTAT - Official estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland

China, mainland: ILOSTAT - Official estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in was 28.3 % in 2015. ▼ Falling

Latest (2015)
28.3 %
Change on year
down 4.1%
World rank
10th
of 29 countries
All-time high
83.5 %
in 1952
All-time low
28.3 %
in 2015
Years of data
38
1952–2015

ILOSTAT - Official estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland, 1952–2015

204060801952198320151952: 83.5 %1978: 70.5 %1979: 69.8 %1980: 68.7 %1981: 68.1 %1982: 68.1 %1983: 67.1 %1984: 64 %1985: 62.4 %1986: 60.9 %1987: 60 %1988: 59.4 %1989: 60 %1990: 58.8 %1991: 59.7 %1992: 58.5 %1993: 56.4 %1994: 54.3 %1995: 52.2 %1996: 50.5 %1997: 49.9 %1998: 49.8 %1999: 50.1 %2001: 50 %2002: 50 %2003: 49.1 %2004: 46.9 %2005: 44.8 %2006: 42.6 %2007: 40.8 %2008: 39.6 %2009: 38.1 %2010: 36.7 %2011: 34.8 %2012: 33.6 %2013: 31.4 %2014: 29.5 %2015: 28.3 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for ilostat - official estimates — share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland is 28.3 %, measured in 2015. That is the lowest value across all 38 years on record.

The figure is down 4.1% on the previous year and down 36.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, ilostat - official estimates — share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland peaked at 83.5 % in 1952 and was at its lowest, 28.3 %, in 2015.

China, mainland ranks 10th of 29 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.

ILOSTAT - Official estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland, year by year

Annual values for ILOSTAT - Official estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in total employment — Value in China, mainland, 1952 to 2015.
Year % Change
1952 83.5 %
1978 70.5 % -15.6%
1979 69.8 % -1.0%
1980 68.7 % -1.6%
1981 68.1 % -0.9%
1982 68.1 % +0.0%
1983 67.1 % -1.5%
1984 64 % -4.6%
1985 62.4 % -2.5%
1986 60.9 % -2.4%
1987 60 % -1.5%
1988 59.4 % -1.0%
1989 60 % +1.0%
1990 58.8 % -2.0%
1991 59.7 % +1.5%
1992 58.5 % -2.0%
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%
2001 50 % -0.2%
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%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 83.5 % 83.5 % 83.5 % 1
1970s 70.15 % 69.8 % 70.5 % 2
1980s 63.87 % 59.4 % 68.7 % 10
1990s 54.02 % 49.8 % 59.7 % 10
2000s 44.66 % 38.1 % 50 % 9
2010s 32.38 % 28.3 % 36.7 % 6

Countries ranked near China, mainland

  1. 7 Mongolia 39.9 % compare
  2. 8 Uzbekistan 38.5 % compare
  3. 9 Saint Kitts and Nevis 29.6 % compare
  4. 11 Guadeloupe 27.1 % compare
  5. 12 Sao Tome and Principe 26.2 % compare
  6. 13 Bulgaria 25.8 % compare

See the full ranking of 31 places →

More agriculture & rural data for China, mainland

All data for China, mainland →

Frequently asked questions

What is ilostat - official estimates — share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland?
Ilostat - official estimates — share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland was 28.3 % in 2015, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest ilostat - official estimates — share of employment in agriculture in recorded in China, mainland?
The highest recorded value was 83.5 % in 1952.
What is the lowest ilostat - official estimates — share of employment in agriculture in recorded in China, mainland?
The lowest recorded value was 28.3 % in 2015.
How does China, mainland rank for ilostat - official estimates — share of employment in agriculture in?
China, mainland ranks 10th out of 29 countries with data for 2015.
Is ilostat - official estimates — share of employment in agriculture in rising or falling in China, mainland?
Over the last ten years it is down 36.8%. 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 ILOSTAT - Official estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in total employment — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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ILOSTAT - Official estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in in China, mainland. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/ilostat-official-estimates-share-of-employment-in-agriculture-in-total-employment-value/china-mainland/

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About this data

Indicator
ILOSTAT - Official estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in total employment — Value
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
31 places, 453 data points, 1952–2022
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.