Share of agriculture in total employment in Kenya
Kenya: Share of agriculture in total employment was 47.5% in 2011. ▼ Falling
Share of agriculture in total employment in Kenya, 1969–2011
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2011, share of agriculture in total employment in Kenya stood at 47.5%. That is the lowest value across all 43 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of agriculture in total employment in Kenya peaked at 81.0% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 47.5%, in 2011.
That places Kenya 8th out of 44 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Share of agriculture in total employment in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 80.6% | — |
| 1970 | 81.0% | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 80.2% | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 80.7% | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 80.8% | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 79.3% | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 79.8% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 79.4% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 79.3% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 79.5% | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 78.9% | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 78.0% | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 77.8% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 77.5% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 76.6% | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 76.1% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 75.3% | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 74.5% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 73.9% | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 73.4% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 72.1% | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 71.2% | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 70.4% | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 69.3% | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 67.9% | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 65.9% | -2.9% |
| 1995 | 63.3% | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 61.2% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 59.6% | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 58.1% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 56.7% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 56.1% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 55.3% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 54.5% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 53.9% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 52.5% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 51.9% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 51.5% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 50.6% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 49.9% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 49.0% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 48.3% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 47.5% | -1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 80.6% | 80.6% | 80.6% | 1 |
| 1970s | 79.9% | 78.9% | 81.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 75.5% | 72.1% | 78.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 64.4% | 56.7% | 71.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 52.5% | 49.0% | 56.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.9% | 47.5% | 48.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More agriculture & rural data for Kenya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 16.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 547.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6779 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 12.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of agriculture in total employment in Kenya?
- Share of agriculture in total employment in Kenya was 47.5% 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 81.0% in 1970.
- What is the lowest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.5% in 2011.
- How does Kenya rank for share of agriculture in total employment?
- Kenya ranks 8th out of 44 countries with data for 2011.
- Is share of agriculture in total employment rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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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