Number of people employed in agriculture in India
India: Number of people employed in agriculture was 246.23 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Number of people employed in agriculture in India, 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
India recorded 246.23 million people for number of people employed in agriculture in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 20.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people employed in agriculture in India peaked at 246.97 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 184.17 million people, in 1991.
That places India 1st 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 India, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 184.17 million people | — |
| 1992 | 188.21 million people | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 192.29 million people | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 196.42 million people | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 201.25 million people | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 206.08 million people | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 211.22 million people | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 215.95 million people | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 219.88 million people | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 225.63 million people | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 227.84 million people | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 229.90 million people | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 230.61 million people | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 230.69 million people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 231.35 million people | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 229.60 million people | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 227.04 million people | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 225.92 million people | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 223.07 million people | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 220.50 million people | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 213.96 million people | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 207.04 million people | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 206.82 million people | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 205.88 million people | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 204.76 million people | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 203.04 million people | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 201.74 million people | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 199.93 million people | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 201.94 million people | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 219.21 million people | +8.5% |
| 2021 | 227.11 million people | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 232.18 million people | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 245.80 million people | +5.9% |
| 2024 | 246.97 million people | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 246.23 million people | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 201.72 million people | 184.17 million people | 219.88 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 228.16 million people | 223.07 million people | 231.35 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 206.56 million people | 199.93 million people | 220.50 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 236.25 million people | 219.21 million people | 246.97 million people | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More agriculture & rural data for India
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -2.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1623 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 438.73 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4067 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6431 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people employed in agriculture in India?
- Number of people employed in agriculture in India was 246.23 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 246.97 million people in 2024.
- What is the lowest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 184.17 million people in 1991.
- How does India rank for number of people employed in agriculture?
- India ranks 1st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people employed in agriculture rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people working in agriculture, including hunting, forestry and fishing.