Share of agriculture in total employment in Botswana
Botswana: Share of agriculture in total employment was 38.1% in 2010. ▼ Falling
Latest (2010)
38.1%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
11th
of 44 countries
All-time high
87.5%
in 1964
All-time low
36.2%
in 2001
Years of data
47
1964–2010
Share of agriculture in total employment in Botswana, 1964–2010
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 38.1% for share of agriculture in total employment in 2010.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of agriculture in total employment in Botswana peaked at 87.5% in 1964 and was at its lowest, 36.2%, in 2001.
Botswana ranks 11th of 44 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Share of agriculture in total employment in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 87.5% | — |
| 1965 | 85.8% | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 85.6% | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 86.7% | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 85.9% | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 83.7% | -2.6% |
| 1970 | 81.2% | -3.0% |
| 1971 | 79.0% | -2.7% |
| 1972 | 74.8% | -5.3% |
| 1973 | 72.0% | -3.7% |
| 1974 | 70.2% | -2.5% |
| 1975 | 67.5% | -3.8% |
| 1976 | 66.3% | -1.8% |
| 1977 | 65.1% | -1.8% |
| 1978 | 63.6% | -2.3% |
| 1979 | 61.4% | -3.5% |
| 1980 | 59.7% | -2.8% |
| 1981 | 57.4% | -3.9% |
| 1982 | 56.6% | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 57.2% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 55.9% | -2.3% |
| 1985 | 54.3% | -2.9% |
| 1986 | 51.9% | -4.4% |
| 1987 | 48.6% | -6.4% |
| 1988 | 45.6% | -6.2% |
| 1989 | 42.7% | -6.4% |
| 1990 | 40.2% | -5.9% |
| 1991 | 38.4% | -4.5% |
| 1992 | 39.3% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 39.3% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 39.7% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 39.5% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 39.0% | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 41.6% | +6.7% |
| 1998 | 41.0% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 39.3% | -4.1% |
| 2000 | 38.3% | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 36.2% | -5.5% |
| 2002 | 36.7% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 37.0% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 37.8% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 38.9% | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 37.7% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 37.7% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 38.2% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 38.1% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 85.9% | 83.7% | 87.5% | 6 |
| 1970s | 70.1% | 61.4% | 81.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 53.0% | 42.7% | 59.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 39.7% | 38.4% | 41.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.7% | 36.2% | 38.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.1% | 38.1% | 38.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More agriculture & rural data for Botswana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0178 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 138.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0839 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3204 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of agriculture in total employment in Botswana?
- Share of agriculture in total employment in Botswana was 38.1% in 2010, according to Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 87.5% in 1964.
- What is the lowest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.2% in 2001.
- How does Botswana rank for share of agriculture in total employment?
- Botswana ranks 11th out of 44 countries with data for 2010.
- Is share of agriculture in total employment rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of agriculture in total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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