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 46.79 % in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
46.79 %
Change on year
down 0.4%
Rank
3rd
of 26 groups
All-time high
56.09 %
in 2000
All-time low
46.79 %
in 2023
Years of data
24
2000–2023

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

02040602000201120232000: 56.1 %2001: 55.9 %2002: 55.9 %2003: 55.9 %2004: 55.6 %2005: 55.4 %2006: 54.9 %2007: 53.5 %2008: 52.1 %2009: 51.4 %2010: 50.7 %2011: 50.9 %2012: 50.7 %2013: 50.7 %2014: 50.2 %2015: 49.5 %2016: 49.3 %2017: 48.9 %2018: 48.1 %2019: 47 %2020: 47.9 %2021: 47.9 %2022: 47 %2023: 46.8 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Africa is 46.79 %, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Africa peaked at 56.09 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 46.79 %, in 2023.

Africa ranks 3rd of 26 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

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 — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Agriculture in Africa, 2000 to 2023.
Year % Change
2000 56.09 %
2001 55.93 % -0.3%
2002 55.94 % +0.0%
2003 55.91 % -0.1%
2004 55.61 % -0.5%
2005 55.39 % -0.4%
2006 54.89 % -0.9%
2007 53.45 % -2.6%
2008 52.06 % -2.6%
2009 51.44 % -1.2%
2010 50.69 % -1.5%
2011 50.85 % +0.3%
2012 50.67 % -0.4%
2013 50.71 % +0.1%
2014 50.16 % -1.1%
2015 49.55 % -1.2%
2016 49.26 % -0.6%
2017 48.87 % -0.8%
2018 48.1 % -1.6%
2019 47.03 % -2.2%
2020 47.85 % +1.7%
2021 47.86 % +0.0%
2022 46.98 % -1.8%
2023 46.79 % -0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 54.67 % 51.44 % 56.09 % 10
2010s 49.59 % 47.03 % 50.85 % 10
2020s 47.37 % 46.79 % 47.86 % 4

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 1 Burundi 85.59 % compare
  2. 1 Lao People's Democratic Republic 69.39 % compare
  3. 2 Mozambique 73.05 % compare
  4. 2 United Republic of Tanzania 65.16 % compare
  5. 3 Chad 71.93 % compare
  6. 3 Democratic Republic of the Congo 59.52 % compare
  7. 4 Madagascar 69.89 % compare
  8. 5 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 54.49 % compare
  9. 5 Uganda 65.89 % compare
  10. 6 Guinea-Bissau 62.21 % compare
  11. 6 Timor-Leste 48.39 % compare

See the full ranking of 185 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 46.79 % 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 56.09 % 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 46.79 % in 2023.
How does Africa rank for share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by?
Africa ranks 3rd 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 7.7%. 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 — 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/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 — 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
185 places, 4,285 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.