Share of employment in agriculture in Nepal
Nepal: Share of employment in agriculture was 22.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture in Nepal, 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
Nepal recorded 22.9% for share of employment in agriculture in 2025. 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 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture in Nepal peaked at 39.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 22.9%, in 2025.
That places Nepal 77th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Nepal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 39.7% | — |
| 1992 | 39.0% | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 38.2% | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 37.0% | -3.1% |
| 1995 | 36.1% | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 35.2% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 35.5% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 35.8% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 35.8% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 35.3% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 34.9% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 35.0% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 34.4% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 33.8% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 33.2% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 32.6% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 31.9% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 31.3% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 30.5% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 29.8% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 29.3% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 28.6% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 28.0% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 27.0% | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 26.3% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 26.1% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 24.5% | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 23.8% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 25.0% | +5.0% |
| 2021 | 25.0% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 24.3% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 24.0% | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 23.5% | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 22.9% | -2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 36.9% | 35.2% | 39.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 33.3% | 30.5% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.9% | 23.8% | 29.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.1% | 22.9% | 25.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More agriculture & rural data for Nepal
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2156 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 331.1 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.7937 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.33 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture in Nepal?
- Share of employment in agriculture in Nepal was 22.9% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 39.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.9% in 2025.
- How does Nepal rank for share of employment in agriculture?
- Nepal ranks 77th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nepal 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.
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About this data
Share of working people employed in agriculture, including hunting, forestry and fishing.