Share of employment in agriculture in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of employment in agriculture was 2.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture in Saudi Arabia, 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 Saudi Arabia stood at 2.5%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 39.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture in Saudi Arabia peaked at 7.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2025.
Saudi Arabia ranks 154th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.8% | — |
| 1992 | 7.7% | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 7.5% | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 7.3% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 7.2% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 7.1% | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 6.9% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 6.7% | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 6.6% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 6.5% | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 6.4% | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 6.3% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 6.1% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 5.9% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 5.8% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 5.6% | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 5.5% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 5.3% | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 5.1% | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 4.9% | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 4.8% | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 4.6% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 4.5% | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 4.3% | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 4.0% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 3.9% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | -21.9% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 3.2% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 2.7% | -15.9% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | +8.2% |
| 2023 | 2.7% | -5.0% |
| 2024 | 2.6% | -6.2% |
| 2025 | 2.5% | -2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.2% | 6.6% | 7.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.9% | 5.1% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 3.1% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More agriculture & rural data for Saudi Arabia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0259 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 894.48 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 3.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1539 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of employment in agriculture in Saudi Arabia was 2.5% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2025.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of employment in agriculture?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 154th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.