Share of agriculture in total employment in Malaysia
Malaysia: Share of agriculture in total employment was 11.5% in 2011. ▼ Falling
Share of agriculture in total employment in Malaysia, 1975–2011
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 11.5% for share of agriculture in total employment in 2011. That is the lowest value across all 37 years on record.
That represents a change of down 15.4% on the previous year and down 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of agriculture in total employment in Malaysia peaked at 45.7% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 11.5%, in 2011.
Malaysia ranks 24th of 44 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.
Share of agriculture in total employment in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 45.7% | — |
| 1976 | 41.8% | -8.5% |
| 1977 | 41.7% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 41.6% | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 40.8% | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 35.4% | -13.2% |
| 1981 | 33.4% | -5.6% |
| 1982 | 31.2% | -6.6% |
| 1983 | 29.7% | -4.8% |
| 1984 | 29.2% | -1.7% |
| 1985 | 29.5% | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 29.9% | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 30.1% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 29.6% | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 27.6% | -6.8% |
| 1990 | 24.8% | -10.1% |
| 1991 | 23.3% | -6.0% |
| 1992 | 21.4% | -8.2% |
| 1993 | 20.5% | -4.2% |
| 1994 | 18.8% | -8.3% |
| 1995 | 17.5% | -6.9% |
| 1996 | 16.3% | -6.9% |
| 1997 | 15.5% | -4.9% |
| 1998 | 16.9% | +9.0% |
| 1999 | 16.5% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 16.5% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 14.4% | -12.7% |
| 2002 | 14.1% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 13.5% | -4.3% |
| 2004 | 13.8% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 13.9% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 13.8% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 14.0% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 13.3% | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 12.9% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 13.6% | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 11.5% | -15.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 42.3% | 40.8% | 45.7% | 5 |
| 1980s | 30.6% | 27.6% | 35.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.1% | 15.5% | 24.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.0% | 12.9% | 16.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.6% | 11.5% | 13.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More agriculture & rural data for Malaysia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0822 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,078 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.913 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2261 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of agriculture in total employment in Malaysia?
- Share of agriculture in total employment in Malaysia was 11.5% 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 45.7% in 1975.
- What is the lowest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5% in 2011.
- How does Malaysia rank for share of agriculture in total employment?
- Malaysia ranks 24th out of 44 countries with data for 2011.
- Is share of agriculture in total employment rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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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