Share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Africa

Africa: Share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by was 49.57 % in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
49.57 %
Change on year
down 1.9%
Rank
4th
of 26 groups
All-time high
59.38 %
in 2000
All-time low
44.46 %
in 2020
Years of data
24
2000–2023

Share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Africa, 2000–2023

02040602000201120232000: 59.4 %2001: 59.1 %2002: 59.1 %2003: 59.3 %2004: 59.2 %2005: 59.3 %2006: 57.1 %2007: 55.7 %2008: 53.4 %2009: 54.4 %2010: 52.5 %2011: 53.2 %2012: 52.3 %2013: 52.5 %2014: 50.4 %2015: 49.1 %2016: 48.6 %2017: 48.5 %2018: 47.1 %2019: 48 %2020: 44.5 %2021: 45.7 %2022: 50.5 %2023: 49.6 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2023, share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Africa stood at 49.57 %.

That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Africa peaked at 59.38 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 44.46 %, in 2020.

Africa ranks 4th of 26 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.

Share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by subindustry and sex: Employment in agriculture — Value — Female — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Agriculture in Africa, 2000 to 2023.
Year % Change
2000 59.38 %
2001 59.08 % -0.5%
2002 59.08 % +0.0%
2003 59.27 % +0.3%
2004 59.18 % -0.2%
2005 59.34 % +0.3%
2006 57.06 % -3.8%
2007 55.74 % -2.3%
2008 53.44 % -4.1%
2009 54.43 % +1.9%
2010 52.53 % -3.5%
2011 53.25 % +1.4%
2012 52.29 % -1.8%
2013 52.53 % +0.5%
2014 50.37 % -4.1%
2015 49.12 % -2.5%
2016 48.63 % -1.0%
2017 48.49 % -0.3%
2018 47.11 % -2.8%
2019 47.99 % +1.9%
2020 44.46 % -7.4%
2021 45.72 % +2.8%
2022 50.52 % +10.5%
2023 49.57 % -1.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 57.6 % 53.44 % 59.38 % 10
2010s 50.23 % 47.11 % 53.25 % 10
2020s 47.57 % 44.46 % 50.52 % 4

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 1 Burundi 92.8 % compare
  2. 1 Lao People's Democratic Republic 69.33 % compare
  3. 2 Democratic Republic of the Congo 68.35 % compare
  4. 2 Mozambique 81.68 % compare
  5. 3 Chad 74.28 % compare
  6. 3 United Republic of Tanzania 67.23 % compare
  7. 4 Bangladesh 74.15 % compare
  8. 5 Afghanistan 73.42 % compare
  9. 5 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 58.03 % compare
  10. 6 Timor-Leste 49.19 % compare
  11. 6 Uganda 71.76 % compare
  12. 7 Madagascar 68.91 % compare
  13. 7 Melanesia 39.51 % compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Africa?
Share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Africa was 49.57 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 59.38 % in 2000.
What is the lowest share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 44.46 % in 2020.
How does Africa rank for share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by?
Africa ranks 4th out of 26 groups with data for 2023.
Is share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by subindustry and sex: Employment in agriculture — Value — Female — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-employment-in-agrifood-systems-out-of-total-employment-by-subindustry-and-sex-3/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by subindustry and sex: Employment in agriculture — Value — Female — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Agriculture
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
179 places, 4,229 data points, 2000–2023
Last refreshed

The Suite of Gender Indicators presents a set of indicators relevant to agrifood systems that are disaggregated by sex, with the aim of highlighting gender differences across agrifood systems. The initial set of indicators is based on those used in FAO’s 2023 Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (SWAFS) report and on the recommendations of an expert consultation held in December 2023, and covers key dimensions including economic participation, governance, agency, social norms, assets and services, education, health, and nutrition. Indicator selection was informed by expert judgment and by the availability of data with sufficient geographic and temporal coverage to enable meaningful comparisons across regions and over time. While most indicators are produced and published by FAO and other international organizations, the objective of this domain is to provide a one-stop shop for sex-disaggregated data on agrifood systems.