Number of people employed in agriculture in Nigeria
Nigeria: Number of people employed in agriculture was 37.90 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Number of people employed in agriculture in Nigeria, 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 Nigeria stood at 37.90 million people. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people employed in agriculture in Nigeria peaked at 37.90 million people in 2025 and was at its lowest, 23.32 million people, in 1991.
That places Nigeria 4th 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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 23.32 million people | — |
| 1992 | 24.06 million people | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 24.93 million people | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 25.89 million people | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 26.72 million people | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 27.36 million people | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 28.04 million people | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 28.66 million people | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 29.33 million people | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 29.76 million people | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 30.30 million people | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 30.89 million people | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 31.21 million people | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 31.33 million people | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 31.58 million people | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 31.82 million people | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 32.09 million people | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 32.38 million people | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 32.61 million people | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 32.59 million people | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 32.69 million people | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 32.74 million people | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 32.53 million people | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 32.57 million people | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 32.95 million people | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 33.70 million people | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 34.38 million people | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 35.02 million people | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 35.61 million people | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 35.52 million people | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 35.57 million people | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 35.69 million people | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 37.03 million people | +3.7% |
| 2024 | 37.47 million people | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 37.90 million people | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.48 million people | 23.32 million people | 29.33 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 31.40 million people | 29.76 million people | 32.61 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.48 million people | 32.53 million people | 35.61 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.53 million people | 35.52 million people | 37.90 million people | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people employed in agriculture in Nigeria?
- Number of people employed in agriculture in Nigeria was 37.90 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 37.90 million people in 2025.
- What is the lowest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.32 million people in 1991.
- How does Nigeria rank for number of people employed in agriculture?
- Nigeria ranks 4th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people employed in agriculture rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.