Share of agriculture in total employment in Thailand
Thailand: Share of agriculture in total employment was 38.7% in 2011. ▼ Falling
Latest (2011)
38.7%
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
10th
of 44 countries
All-time high
81.3%
in 1960
All-time low
38.3%
in 2010
Years of data
52
1960–2011
Share of agriculture in total employment in Thailand, 1960–2011
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 Thailand is 38.7%, measured in 2011.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of agriculture in total employment in Thailand peaked at 81.3% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 38.3%, in 2010.
Thailand ranks 10th of 44 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Share of agriculture in total employment in Thailand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 81.3% | — |
| 1961 | 81.0% | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 80.7% | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 80.3% | -0.5% |
| 1964 | 80.0% | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 79.7% | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 79.3% | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 79.0% | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 78.6% | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 78.3% | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 77.9% | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 76.9% | -1.3% |
| 1972 | 75.9% | -1.3% |
| 1973 | 74.9% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 73.9% | -1.3% |
| 1975 | 73.0% | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 72.1% | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 71.2% | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 72.3% | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 68.5% | -5.3% |
| 1980 | 68.5% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 68.1% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 64.3% | -5.6% |
| 1983 | 66.9% | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 68.9% | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 67.7% | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 66.2% | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 64.4% | -2.7% |
| 1988 | 66.4% | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 66.1% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 63.4% | -4.1% |
| 1991 | 59.7% | -5.8% |
| 1992 | 60.3% | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 56.2% | -6.8% |
| 1994 | 55.6% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 51.6% | -7.2% |
| 1996 | 49.8% | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 50.1% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 51.0% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 48.2% | -5.5% |
| 2000 | 48.5% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 46.0% | -5.2% |
| 2002 | 46.1% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 44.9% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 42.4% | -5.6% |
| 2005 | 42.6% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 42.2% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 41.8% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 42.5% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 39.0% | -8.2% |
| 2010 | 38.3% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 38.7% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 79.8% | 78.3% | 81.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 73.7% | 68.5% | 77.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 66.8% | 64.3% | 68.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 54.6% | 48.2% | 63.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.6% | 39.0% | 48.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.5% | 38.3% | 38.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More agriculture & rural data for Thailand
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0875 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 704.7 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -2.51 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.372 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 4.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of agriculture in total employment in Thailand?
- Share of agriculture in total employment in Thailand was 38.7% 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 Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 81.3% in 1960.
- What is the lowest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.3% in 2010.
- How does Thailand rank for share of agriculture in total employment?
- Thailand ranks 10th out of 44 countries with data for 2011.
- Is share of agriculture in total employment rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Thailand 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).