Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm was 35.97 % in 2023. ▬ Flat
Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 35.97 % for share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 5.5% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 41.52 % in 2004 and was at its lowest, 35.97 %, in 2023.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 29th out of 31 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 39.95 % | — |
| 2001 | 39.62 % | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 40.09 % | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 40.01 % | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 41.52 % | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 40.11 % | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 41.01 % | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 39.28 % | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 39.64 % | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 39.87 % | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 39.4 % | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 40.38 % | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 40.04 % | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 39.64 % | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 39.49 % | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 39.4 % | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 39.22 % | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 39.01 % | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 40.05 % | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 40.04 % | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 39.75 % | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 39.63 % | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 38.06 % | -4.0% |
| 2023 | 35.97 % | -5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.11 % | 39.28 % | 41.52 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.67 % | 39.01 % | 40.38 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.35 % | 35.97 % | 39.75 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm in Sub-Saharan Africa was 35.97 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 41.52 % in 2004.
- What is the lowest share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.97 % in 2023.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 29th out of 31 groups with data for 2023.
- Is share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm agrifood systems — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Non-agricultural agrifood systems. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Suite of Gender Indicators presents a set of indicators relevant to agrifood systems that are disaggregated by sex, with the aim of highlighting gender differences across agrifood systems. The initial set of indicators is based on those used in FAO’s 2023 Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (SWAFS) report and on the recommendations of an expert consultation held in December 2023, and covers key dimensions including economic participation, governance, agency, social norms, assets and services, education, health, and nutrition. Indicator selection was informed by expert judgment and by the availability of data with sufficient geographic and temporal coverage to enable meaningful comparisons across regions and over time. While most indicators are produced and published by FAO and other international organizations, the objective of this domain is to provide a one-stop shop for sex-disaggregated data on agrifood systems.