Number of people employed in agriculture in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Number of people employed in agriculture was 21.93 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Number of people employed in agriculture in Democratic Republic of Congo, 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
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 21.93 million people for number of people employed in agriculture in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 33.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people employed in agriculture in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 21.93 million people in 2025 and was at its lowest, 8.63 million people, in 1991.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 8th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Number of people employed in agriculture in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.63 million people | — |
| 1992 | 9.22 million people | +6.9% |
| 1993 | 9.86 million people | +6.9% |
| 1994 | 10.62 million people | +7.7% |
| 1995 | 11.17 million people | +5.2% |
| 1996 | 11.21 million people | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 11.50 million people | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 11.84 million people | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 12.45 million people | +5.1% |
| 2000 | 12.90 million people | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 13.47 million people | +4.4% |
| 2002 | 13.80 million people | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 14.12 million people | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 14.40 million people | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 14.72 million people | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 14.86 million people | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 14.97 million people | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 15.06 million people | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 15.29 million people | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 15.36 million people | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 15.49 million people | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 15.64 million people | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 15.91 million people | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 16.15 million people | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 16.43 million people | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 17.00 million people | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 17.56 million people | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 17.90 million people | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 18.28 million people | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 18.94 million people | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 19.78 million people | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 20.47 million people | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 20.88 million people | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 21.38 million people | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 21.93 million people | +2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.72 million people | 8.63 million people | 12.45 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.36 million people | 12.90 million people | 15.29 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.57 million people | 15.36 million people | 18.28 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.57 million people | 18.94 million people | 21.93 million people | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More agriculture & rural data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.9% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 72.04 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5489 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0007 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 8.13 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 54.9% (2025)
- Rural population growth 2.5% (2025)
- Rural population 61.93 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people employed in agriculture in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Number of people employed in agriculture in Democratic Republic of Congo was 21.93 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 21.93 million people in 2025.
- What is the lowest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.63 million people in 1991.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for number of people employed in agriculture?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 8th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people employed in agriculture rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.