Share of employment in agriculture in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of employment in agriculture was 33.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture in Nigeria, 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
The most recent figure for share of employment in agriculture in Nigeria is 33.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture in Nigeria peaked at 53.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 33.5%, in 2025.
Nigeria ranks 52nd 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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 53.8% | — |
| 1992 | 53.5% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 53.7% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 53.8% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 53.8% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 53.6% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 53.4% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 53.0% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 52.8% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 52.3% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 51.9% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 51.5% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 50.9% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 49.8% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 49.1% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 48.4% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 47.7% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 47.0% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 46.1% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 45.0% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 44.0% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 42.9% | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 41.6% | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 40.6% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 40.1% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 40.0% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 39.7% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 39.4% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 39.0% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 38.8% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 37.3% | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 35.3% | -5.4% |
| 2023 | 34.7% | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 34.1% | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 33.5% | -1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 53.5% | 52.8% | 53.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 49.5% | 46.1% | 52.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.2% | 39.0% | 45.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.6% | 33.5% | 38.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture in Nigeria?
- Share of employment in agriculture in Nigeria was 33.5% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 53.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.5% in 2025.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of employment in agriculture?
- Nigeria ranks 52nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.