Share of agriculture in total employment in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Share of agriculture in total employment was 73.4% in 2011. ▼ Falling
Share of agriculture in total employment in Ethiopia, 1961–2011
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 73.4% for share of agriculture in total employment in 2011. That is the lowest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and down 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of agriculture in total employment in Ethiopia peaked at 96.2% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 73.4%, in 2011.
Ethiopia ranks 1st of 44 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Share of agriculture in total employment in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 96.2% | — |
| 1962 | 95.9% | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 95.7% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 95.3% | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 94.8% | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 94.4% | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 94.0% | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 93.4% | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 93.0% | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 92.5% | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 92.1% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 91.7% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 91.3% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 91.0% | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 90.9% | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 90.8% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 90.7% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 90.8% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 90.1% | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 89.3% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 89.1% | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 88.8% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 88.7% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 88.6% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 88.9% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 89.0% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 88.9% | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 88.8% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 89.0% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 89.4% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 90.2% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 90.3% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 88.4% | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 87.9% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 87.3% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 86.3% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 86.0% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 86.2% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 85.6% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 84.9% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 84.9% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 85.0% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 84.9% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 84.4% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 83.3% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 81.8% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 80.2% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 78.5% | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 76.9% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 75.1% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 73.4% | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 94.7% | 93.0% | 96.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 91.2% | 90.1% | 92.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 88.9% | 88.6% | 89.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 87.8% | 85.6% | 90.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 82.5% | 76.9% | 85.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.2% | 73.4% | 75.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More agriculture & rural data for Ethiopia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -20.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3282 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 306.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7589 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 32.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 32.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of agriculture in total employment in Ethiopia?
- Share of agriculture in total employment in Ethiopia was 73.4% 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 96.2% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 73.4% in 2011.
- How does Ethiopia rank for share of agriculture in total employment?
- Ethiopia ranks 1st out of 44 countries with data for 2011.
- Is share of agriculture in total employment rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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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