Number of people employed in agriculture in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Number of people employed in agriculture was 416,386 people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Number of people employed in agriculture in Saudi Arabia, 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
The most recent figure for number of people employed in agriculture in Saudi Arabia is 416,386 people, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 20.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people employed in agriculture in Saudi Arabia peaked at 530,703 people in 2016 and was at its lowest, 236,295 people, in 1991.
That places Saudi Arabia 99th 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 Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 236,295 people | — |
| 1992 | 245,437 people | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 250,965 people | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 256,975 people | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 264,132 people | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 270,867 people | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 277,410 people | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 281,758 people | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 289,874 people | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 304,652 people | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 313,580 people | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 323,777 people | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 333,955 people | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 344,632 people | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 358,689 people | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 372,985 people | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 389,016 people | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 406,909 people | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 416,947 people | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 437,574 people | +4.9% |
| 2011 | 458,203 people | +4.7% |
| 2012 | 481,215 people | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 501,675 people | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 512,632 people | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 524,349 people | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 530,703 people | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 499,485 people | -5.9% |
| 2018 | 384,688 people | -23.0% |
| 2019 | 404,629 people | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 421,973 people | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 370,407 people | -12.2% |
| 2022 | 421,210 people | +13.7% |
| 2023 | 434,060 people | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 418,703 people | -3.5% |
| 2025 | 416,386 people | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 263,746 people | 236,295 people | 289,874 people | 9 |
| 2000s | 356,514 people | 304,652 people | 416,947 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 473,515 people | 384,688 people | 530,703 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 413,790 people | 370,407 people | 434,060 people | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 96 Greece 439,284 people compare
- 97 Belarus 434,868 people compare
- 98 Kyrgyzstan 424,603 people compare
- 100 Albania 407,084 people compare
- 101 El Salvador 400,427 people compare
- 102 Equatorial Guinea 374,240 people compare
More agriculture & rural data for Saudi Arabia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0259 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 894.48 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 3.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1539 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people employed in agriculture in Saudi Arabia?
- Number of people employed in agriculture in Saudi Arabia was 416,386 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 530,703 people in 2016.
- What is the lowest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 236,295 people in 1991.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for number of people employed in agriculture?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 99th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people employed in agriculture rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.