Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Zambia
Zambia: Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services was 54.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Zambia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 54.5% for share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Zambia peaked at 77.1% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 54.5%, in 2025.
That places Zambia 18th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 74.6% | — |
| 1992 | 75.0% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 75.1% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 74.8% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 74.9% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 74.7% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 74.6% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 75.0% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 75.8% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 76.0% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 76.5% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 76.9% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 77.1% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 77.1% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 77.0% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 76.8% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 76.6% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 76.4% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 73.5% | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 70.2% | -4.5% |
| 2011 | 66.9% | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 63.0% | -5.9% |
| 2013 | 62.6% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 62.0% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 61.3% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 61.1% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 60.9% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 59.8% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 57.4% | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 59.1% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 57.8% | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 56.1% | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 56.0% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 55.3% | -1.2% |
| 2025 | 54.5% | -1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 74.9% | 74.6% | 75.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 76.4% | 73.5% | 77.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.5% | 57.4% | 70.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.5% | 54.5% | 59.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 15 Democratic Republic of Congo 58.5% compare
- 16 Eritrea 55.5% compare
- 17 Equatorial Guinea 55.3% compare
- 19 Zimbabwe 54.3% compare
- 20 North Korea 54.1% compare
- 21 Angola 51.9% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Zambia?
- Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Zambia was 54.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 77.1% in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.5% in 2025.
- How does Zambia rank for share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services?
- Zambia ranks 18th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of total employment working in the agriculture sector.