Share of agriculture in total employment in India
India: Share of agriculture in total employment was 54.7% in 2010. ▼ Falling
Latest (2010)
54.7%
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
6th
of 44 countries
All-time high
72.7%
in 1974
All-time low
53.7%
in 2009
Years of data
51
1960–2010
Share of agriculture in total employment in India, 1960–2010
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of agriculture in total employment in India is 54.7%, measured in 2010.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of agriculture in total employment in India peaked at 72.7% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 53.7%, in 2009.
India ranks 6th of 44 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Share of agriculture in total employment in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 71.9% | — |
| 1961 | 71.7% | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 71.3% | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 70.8% | -0.7% |
| 1964 | 70.4% | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 71.1% | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 71.5% | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 72.0% | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 72.1% | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 71.7% | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 72.0% | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 72.2% | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 72.4% | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 72.6% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 72.7% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 72.6% | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 72.3% | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 72.2% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 71.5% | -1.0% |
| 1979 | 72.3% | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 72.4% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 72.0% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 71.5% | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 71.0% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 70.5% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 70.0% | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 69.2% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 68.6% | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 67.8% | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 66.7% | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 66.4% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 67.0% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 66.6% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 65.7% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 63.7% | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 62.4% | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 62.2% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 61.6% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 61.2% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 60.3% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 59.6% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 58.8% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 56.6% | -3.7% |
| 2003 | 56.6% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 56.5% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 57.3% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 57.2% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 55.4% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 54.4% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 53.7% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 54.7% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 71.5% | 70.4% | 72.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.3% | 71.5% | 72.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 70.0% | 66.7% | 72.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 63.7% | 60.3% | 67.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 56.6% | 53.7% | 59.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.7% | 54.7% | 54.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near India
More agriculture & rural data for India
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -2.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1623 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 438.73 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4067 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6431 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of agriculture in total employment in India?
- Share of agriculture in total employment in India was 54.7% 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 72.7% in 1974.
- What is the lowest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.7% in 2009.
- How does India rank for share of agriculture in total employment?
- India ranks 6th out of 44 countries with data for 2010.
- Is share of agriculture in total employment rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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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