Number of people employed in agriculture in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Number of people employed in agriculture was 31.83 million people in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
31.83 million people
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
6th
of 186 countries
All-time high
32.79 million people
in 2023
All-time low
25.56 million people
in 2016
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Number of people employed in agriculture in Bangladesh, 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 Bangladesh stood at 31.83 million people.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 23.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people employed in agriculture in Bangladesh peaked at 32.79 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 25.56 million people, in 2016.
Bangladesh ranks 6th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Number of people employed in agriculture in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 25.57 million people | — |
| 1992 | 26.25 million people | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 26.90 million people | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 27.50 million people | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 28.00 million people | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 28.43 million people | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 29.40 million people | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 30.35 million people | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 31.22 million people | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 32.07 million people | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 30.82 million people | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 29.24 million people | -5.1% |
| 2003 | 27.38 million people | -6.4% |
| 2004 | 27.04 million people | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 26.58 million people | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 26.73 million people | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 26.67 million people | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 26.60 million people | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 26.54 million people | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 27.04 million people | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 26.69 million people | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 26.37 million people | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 26.07 million people | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 25.98 million people | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 25.78 million people | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 25.56 million people | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 25.68 million people | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 26.37 million people | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 26.97 million people | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 28.26 million people | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 29.85 million people | +5.6% |
| 2022 | 31.10 million people | +4.2% |
| 2023 | 32.79 million people | +5.4% |
| 2024 | 31.74 million people | -3.2% |
| 2025 | 31.83 million people | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.18 million people | 25.57 million people | 31.22 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 27.97 million people | 26.54 million people | 32.07 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.25 million people | 25.56 million people | 27.04 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.93 million people | 28.26 million people | 32.79 million people | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More agriculture & rural data for Bangladesh
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1142 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 296.72 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6676 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 11.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 11.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2018)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 6.0% (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people employed in agriculture in Bangladesh?
- Number of people employed in agriculture in Bangladesh was 31.83 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 Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 32.79 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.56 million people in 2016.
- How does Bangladesh rank for number of people employed in agriculture?
- Bangladesh ranks 6th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people employed in agriculture rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of people working in agriculture, including hunting, forestry and fishing.