Share of agriculture in total employment in China
China: Share of agriculture in total employment was 34.8% in 2011. ▼ Falling
Latest (2011)
34.8%
Change on year
down 5.2%
World rank
12th
of 44 countries
All-time high
83.5%
in 1952
All-time low
34.8%
in 2011
Years of data
60
1952–2011
Share of agriculture in total employment in China, 1952–2011
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
China recorded 34.8% for share of agriculture in total employment in 2011. That is the lowest value across all 60 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 30.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of agriculture in total employment in China peaked at 83.5% in 1952 and was at its lowest, 34.8%, in 2011.
China ranks 12th of 44 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 60 years of available data.
Share of agriculture in total employment in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 83.5% | — |
| 1953 | 83.1% | -0.5% |
| 1954 | 83.1% | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 83.3% | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 80.6% | -3.2% |
| 1957 | 81.2% | +0.7% |
| 1958 | 58.1% | -28.4% |
| 1959 | 61.8% | +6.4% |
| 1960 | 65.1% | +5.3% |
| 1961 | 76.6% | +17.7% |
| 1962 | 82.1% | +7.2% |
| 1963 | 82.5% | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 82.2% | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 81.6% | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 81.5% | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 81.7% | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 81.7% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 81.6% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 80.8% | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 79.7% | -1.4% |
| 1972 | 78.9% | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 78.7% | -0.3% |
| 1974 | 78.2% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 77.2% | -1.3% |
| 1976 | 75.8% | -1.8% |
| 1977 | 74.5% | -1.7% |
| 1978 | 70.5% | -5.4% |
| 1979 | 69.8% | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 68.7% | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 68.1% | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 68.1% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 67.1% | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 64.0% | -4.6% |
| 1985 | 62.4% | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 60.9% | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 60.0% | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 59.4% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 60.0% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 60.1% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 59.7% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 58.5% | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 56.4% | -3.6% |
| 1994 | 54.3% | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 52.2% | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 50.5% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 49.9% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 49.8% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 50.1% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 50.0% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 49.1% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 46.9% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 44.8% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 42.6% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 40.8% | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 39.6% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 38.1% | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 36.7% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 34.8% | -5.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 76.8% | 58.1% | 83.5% | 8 |
| 1960s | 79.7% | 65.1% | 82.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 76.4% | 69.8% | 80.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 63.9% | 59.4% | 68.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 54.1% | 49.8% | 60.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.2% | 38.1% | 50.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.8% | 34.8% | 36.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3366 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of agriculture in total employment in China?
- Share of agriculture in total employment in China was 34.8% in 2011, 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 83.5% in 1952.
- What is the lowest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.8% in 2011.
- How does China rank for share of agriculture in total employment?
- China ranks 12th out of 44 countries with data for 2011.
- Is share of agriculture in total employment rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China 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
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).