Number of people employed in agriculture in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Number of people employed in agriculture was 4.22 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Number of people employed in agriculture in Afghanistan, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2025, number of people employed in agriculture in Afghanistan stood at 4.22 million people. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people employed in agriculture in Afghanistan peaked at 4.22 million people in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.81 million people, in 1991.
That places Afghanistan 34th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Number of people employed in agriculture in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.81 million people | — |
| 1992 | 1.95 million people | +7.9% |
| 1993 | 2.19 million people | +12.1% |
| 1994 | 2.37 million people | +8.4% |
| 1995 | 2.45 million people | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 2.52 million people | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 2.58 million people | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 2.65 million people | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 2.73 million people | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 2.74 million people | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 2.79 million people | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 2.85 million people | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 3.01 million people | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 3.12 million people | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 3.18 million people | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 3.30 million people | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 3.30 million people | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 3.36 million people | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 3.32 million people | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 3.26 million people | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 3.38 million people | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 3.38 million people | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 3.37 million people | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 3.33 million people | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 3.40 million people | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 3.47 million people | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 3.52 million people | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 3.57 million people | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 3.58 million people | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 3.68 million people | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 4.03 million people | +9.7% |
| 2022 | 3.81 million people | -5.4% |
| 2023 | 3.90 million people | +2.3% |
| 2024 | 4.06 million people | +4.1% |
| 2025 | 4.22 million people | +3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.36 million people | 1.81 million people | 2.73 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.10 million people | 2.74 million people | 3.36 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.43 million people | 3.26 million people | 3.58 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.95 million people | 3.68 million people | 4.22 million people | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More agriculture & rural data for Afghanistan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3429 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 142.96 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0018 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7406 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 34.3% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 34.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 21.0% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people employed in agriculture in Afghanistan?
- Number of people employed in agriculture in Afghanistan was 4.22 million people in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 4.22 million people in 2025.
- What is the lowest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.81 million people in 1991.
- How does Afghanistan rank for number of people employed in agriculture?
- Afghanistan ranks 34th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people employed in agriculture rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people employed in agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of people working in agriculture, including hunting, forestry and fishing.