Share of agriculture in total employment in Egypt
Egypt: Share of agriculture in total employment was 22.9% in 2012. ▼ Falling
Share of agriculture in total employment in Egypt, 1960–2012
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2012, share of agriculture in total employment in Egypt stood at 22.9%. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of agriculture in total employment in Egypt peaked at 55.0% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 22.9%, in 2012.
Egypt ranks 16th of 44 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Share of agriculture in total employment in Egypt, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 55.0% | — |
| 1961 | 51.7% | -6.0% |
| 1962 | 51.0% | -1.4% |
| 1963 | 49.7% | -2.5% |
| 1964 | 49.3% | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 48.7% | -1.2% |
| 1966 | 51.8% | +6.4% |
| 1967 | 53.9% | +4.1% |
| 1968 | 53.2% | -1.3% |
| 1969 | 52.6% | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 51.3% | -2.5% |
| 1971 | 51.0% | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 50.9% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 48.7% | -4.3% |
| 1974 | 48.2% | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 46.1% | -4.4% |
| 1976 | 45.0% | -2.4% |
| 1977 | 44.6% | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 43.7% | -2.0% |
| 1979 | 43.4% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 42.8% | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 41.6% | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 40.6% | -2.4% |
| 1983 | 40.1% | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 39.5% | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 39.1% | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 38.9% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 37.4% | -3.9% |
| 1988 | 36.6% | -2.1% |
| 1989 | 35.4% | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 34.6% | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 34.4% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 34.7% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 34.9% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 34.7% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 34.4% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 32.0% | -7.0% |
| 1997 | 31.4% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 30.8% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 30.2% | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 30.1% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 29.9% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 29.9% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 29.5% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 29.1% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 28.3% | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 26.7% | -5.7% |
| 2007 | 25.5% | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 24.8% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 23.9% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 23.6% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 23.3% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 22.9% | -1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 51.7% | 48.7% | 55.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 47.3% | 43.4% | 51.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 39.2% | 35.4% | 42.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 33.2% | 30.2% | 34.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.8% | 23.9% | 30.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.3% | 22.9% | 23.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
More agriculture & rural data for Egypt
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.32 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1655 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 510.76 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.571 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of agriculture in total employment in Egypt?
- Share of agriculture in total employment in Egypt was 22.9% in 2012, 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 Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 55.0% in 1960.
- What is the lowest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.9% in 2012.
- How does Egypt rank for share of agriculture in total employment?
- Egypt ranks 16th out of 44 countries with data for 2012.
- Is share of agriculture in total employment rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Egypt 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.
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