Share of employment in agriculture in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Share of employment in agriculture was 54.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of employment in agriculture in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe stood at 54.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture in Zimbabwe peaked at 66.1% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 46.7%, in 1998.
That places Zimbabwe 19th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 47.7% | — |
| 1992 | 48.4% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 48.8% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 47.8% | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 47.7% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 47.0% | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 46.9% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 46.7% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 47.3% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 49.7% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 51.8% | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 55.3% | +6.7% |
| 2003 | 58.9% | +6.5% |
| 2004 | 61.4% | +4.4% |
| 2005 | 62.1% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 63.7% | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 64.2% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 66.1% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 64.4% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 62.2% | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 62.0% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 62.0% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 63.2% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 64.0% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 63.7% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 63.7% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 63.0% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 62.4% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 62.4% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 58.6% | -6.1% |
| 2021 | 53.6% | -8.5% |
| 2022 | 53.3% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 55.4% | +4.0% |
| 2024 | 55.2% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 54.3% | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 47.6% | 46.7% | 48.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 59.8% | 49.7% | 66.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.9% | 62.0% | 64.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.1% | 53.3% | 58.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 16 Eritrea 55.5% compare
- 17 Equatorial Guinea 55.3% compare
- 18 Zambia 54.5% compare
- 20 North Korea 54.1% compare
- 21 Angola 51.9% compare
- 22 Burkina Faso 51.8% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zimbabwe
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 34.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0947 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 286.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8815 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.595 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture in Zimbabwe?
- Share of employment in agriculture in Zimbabwe was 54.3% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 66.1% in 2008.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.7% in 1998.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for share of employment in agriculture?
- Zimbabwe ranks 19th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.