Number of people employed in agriculture in China
China: Number of people employed in agriculture was 159.88 million people in 2025. ▼ Falling
Number of people employed in agriculture in China, 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 China stood at 159.88 million people. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people employed in agriculture in China peaked at 382.83 million people in 1991 and was at its lowest, 159.88 million people, in 2025.
China ranks 2nd of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Number of people employed in agriculture in China, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 382.83 million people | — |
| 1992 | 378.96 million people | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 367.10 million people | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 355.44 million people | -3.2% |
| 1995 | 344.19 million people | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 335.54 million people | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 334.47 million people | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 336.82 million people | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 341.52 million people | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 344.05 million people | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 346.22 million people | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 349.33 million people | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 346.31 million people | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 335.24 million people | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 324.28 million people | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 311.88 million people | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 300.92 million people | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 292.85 million people | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 282.67 million people | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 273.96 million people | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 261.44 million people | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 252.59 million people | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 236.13 million people | -6.5% |
| 2014 | 222.12 million people | -5.9% |
| 2015 | 213.25 million people | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 206.77 million people | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 200.91 million people | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 193.65 million people | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 185.12 million people | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 172.40 million people | -6.9% |
| 2021 | 172.21 million people | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 177.83 million people | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 169.78 million people | -4.5% |
| 2024 | 164.02 million people | -3.4% |
| 2025 | 159.88 million people | -2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 352.99 million people | 334.47 million people | 382.83 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 323.38 million people | 282.67 million people | 349.33 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 224.59 million people | 185.12 million people | 273.96 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 169.35 million people | 159.88 million people | 177.83 million people | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3366 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people employed in agriculture in China?
- Number of people employed in agriculture in China was 159.88 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 382.83 million people in 1991.
- What is the lowest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 159.88 million people in 2025.
- How does China rank for number of people employed in agriculture?
- China ranks 2nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people employed in agriculture rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China 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.