Share of employment in agriculture in Benin
Benin: Share of employment in agriculture was 40.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture in Benin, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Benin recorded 40.2% for share of employment in agriculture in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture in Benin peaked at 46.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 40.2%, in 2025.
That places Benin 40th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture in Benin, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 46.6% | — |
| 1992 | 46.5% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 46.4% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 46.3% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 45.9% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 45.8% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 45.6% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 45.5% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 45.3% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 44.9% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 44.7% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 44.5% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 44.4% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 44.3% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 44.4% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 44.2% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 43.8% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 43.5% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 43.6% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 43.7% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 43.6% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 43.7% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 43.3% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 42.9% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 43.2% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 43.3% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 42.9% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 42.3% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 42.0% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 43.3% | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 43.4% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 42.7% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 41.9% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 41.1% | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 40.2% | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 46.0% | 45.3% | 46.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 44.2% | 43.5% | 44.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.1% | 42.0% | 43.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.1% | 40.2% | 43.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More agriculture & rural data for Benin
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2292 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 380.06 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.6697 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4664 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 22.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 22.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 52.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture in Benin?
- Share of employment in agriculture in Benin was 40.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 46.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.2% in 2025.
- How does Benin rank for share of employment in agriculture?
- Benin ranks 40th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of working people employed in agriculture, including hunting, forestry and fishing.