Number of people employed in agriculture in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Number of people employed in agriculture was 1.35 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Number of people employed in agriculture in Papua New Guinea, 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
Papua New Guinea recorded 1.35 million people for number of people employed in agriculture in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 69.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people employed in agriculture in Papua New Guinea peaked at 1.35 million people in 2025 and was at its lowest, 312,715 people, in 1991.
That places Papua New Guinea 64th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Number of people employed in agriculture in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 312,715 people | — |
| 1992 | 316,211 people | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 319,699 people | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 331,898 people | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 350,484 people | +5.6% |
| 1996 | 356,065 people | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 376,665 people | +5.8% |
| 1998 | 396,561 people | +5.3% |
| 1999 | 415,168 people | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 441,334 people | +6.3% |
| 2001 | 459,041 people | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 480,646 people | +4.7% |
| 2003 | 498,281 people | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 513,069 people | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 525,003 people | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 535,523 people | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 540,679 people | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 563,073 people | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 570,960 people | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 583,189 people | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 627,192 people | +7.5% |
| 2012 | 670,194 people | +6.9% |
| 2013 | 718,033 people | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 747,397 people | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 794,045 people | +6.2% |
| 2016 | 846,197 people | +6.6% |
| 2017 | 906,790 people | +7.2% |
| 2018 | 978,874 people | +7.9% |
| 2019 | 1.04 million people | +6.2% |
| 2020 | 1.14 million people | +10.0% |
| 2021 | 1.24 million people | +8.3% |
| 2022 | 1.31 million people | +6.1% |
| 2023 | 1.32 million people | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 1.33 million people | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 1.35 million people | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 352,830 people | 312,715 people | 415,168 people | 9 |
| 2000s | 512,761 people | 441,334 people | 570,960 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 791,173 people | 583,189 people | 1.04 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.28 million people | 1.14 million people | 1.35 million people | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More agriculture & rural data for Papua New Guinea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.3264 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1702 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 495.76 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.8422 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 17.0% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 17.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people employed in agriculture in Papua New Guinea?
- Number of people employed in agriculture in Papua New Guinea was 1.35 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.35 million people in 2025.
- What is the lowest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 312,715 people in 1991.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for number of people employed in agriculture?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 64th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people employed in agriculture rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 69.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.