Share of employment in agriculture in China
China: Share of employment in agriculture was 21.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture in China, 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
In 2025, share of employment in agriculture in China stood at 21.7%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.4% on the previous year and down 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture in China peaked at 59.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 21.7%, in 2025.
China ranks 81st of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 59.6% | — |
| 1992 | 58.5% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 56.4% | -3.6% |
| 1994 | 54.3% | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 52.2% | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 50.5% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 49.9% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 49.8% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 50.1% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 50.0% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 50.0% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 49.1% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 46.9% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 44.8% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 42.6% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 40.8% | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 39.6% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 38.1% | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 36.7% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 34.8% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 33.6% | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 31.4% | -6.5% |
| 2014 | 29.5% | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 28.3% | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 27.4% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 26.7% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 25.8% | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 24.7% | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 23.6% | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 22.9% | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 24.1% | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 22.8% | -5.3% |
| 2024 | 22.2% | -2.6% |
| 2025 | 21.7% | -2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 53.5% | 49.8% | 59.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 45.2% | 38.1% | 50.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.9% | 24.7% | 36.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.9% | 21.7% | 24.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3366 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture in China?
- Share of employment in agriculture in China was 21.7% 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 59.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.7% in 2025.
- How does China rank for share of employment in agriculture?
- China ranks 81st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China 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.