Share of agriculture in total employment in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of agriculture in total employment was 61.8% in 2011. ▼ Falling
Latest (2011)
61.8%
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
5th
of 44 countries
All-time high
78.2%
in 1960
All-time low
41.5%
in 1984
Years of data
52
1960–2011
Share of agriculture in total employment in Nigeria, 1960–2011
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 61.8% for share of agriculture in total employment in 2011.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and down 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of agriculture in total employment in Nigeria peaked at 78.2% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 41.5%, in 1984.
Nigeria ranks 5th of 44 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Share of agriculture in total employment in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 78.2% | — |
| 1961 | 77.3% | -1.2% |
| 1962 | 76.5% | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 74.0% | -3.3% |
| 1964 | 71.7% | -3.1% |
| 1965 | 69.1% | -3.6% |
| 1966 | 68.5% | -0.9% |
| 1967 | 71.8% | +4.8% |
| 1968 | 71.4% | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 68.2% | -4.5% |
| 1970 | 64.8% | -5.0% |
| 1971 | 65.1% | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 64.7% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 63.9% | -1.2% |
| 1974 | 64.0% | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 60.0% | -6.2% |
| 1976 | 56.5% | -5.8% |
| 1977 | 53.4% | -5.5% |
| 1978 | 52.9% | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 52.0% | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 48.3% | -7.1% |
| 1981 | 44.4% | -8.1% |
| 1982 | 42.0% | -5.4% |
| 1983 | 41.6% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 41.5% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 43.3% | +4.3% |
| 1986 | 45.2% | +4.4% |
| 1987 | 46.5% | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 47.3% | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 48.7% | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 50.0% | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 51.4% | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 52.8% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 54.2% | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 55.9% | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 57.6% | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 59.0% | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 60.3% | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 61.3% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 62.0% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 63.7% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 64.8% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 64.6% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 65.7% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 62.7% | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 62.4% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 61.9% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 61.3% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 60.9% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 60.8% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 60.7% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 61.8% | +1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 72.7% | 68.2% | 78.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 59.7% | 52.0% | 65.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 44.9% | 41.5% | 48.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 56.5% | 50.0% | 62.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.9% | 60.8% | 65.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.2% | 60.7% | 61.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of agriculture in total employment in Nigeria?
- Share of agriculture in total employment in Nigeria was 61.8% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 78.2% in 1960.
- What is the lowest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.5% in 1984.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of agriculture in total employment?
- Nigeria ranks 5th out of 44 countries with data for 2011.
- Is share of agriculture in total employment rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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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