Share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by was 50.5 % in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2023
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 Sub-Saharan Africa is 50.5 %, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 60.13 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 50.5 %, in 2023.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 2nd out of 26 groups with data for 2023, putting it 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 Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 60.13 % | — |
| 2001 | 60.03 % | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 60.04 % | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 59.9 % | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 59.48 % | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 59.43 % | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 59.02 % | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 57.31 % | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 55.77 % | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 55.25 % | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 54.63 % | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 54.71 % | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 54.66 % | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 54.68 % | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 54.11 % | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 53.5 % | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 53.22 % | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 52.69 % | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 52.03 % | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 50.82 % | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 51.59 % | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 51.74 % | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 50.83 % | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 50.5 % | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 58.64 % | 55.25 % | 60.13 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.5 % | 50.82 % | 54.71 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.16 % | 50.5 % | 51.74 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 1 Burundi 85.59 % compare
- 1 Lao People's Democratic Republic 69.39 % compare
- 2 Mozambique 73.05 % compare
- 2 United Republic of Tanzania 65.16 % compare
- 3 Chad 71.93 % compare
- 3 Democratic Republic of the Congo 59.52 % compare
- 4 Madagascar 69.89 % compare
- 5 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 54.49 % compare
- 5 Uganda 65.89 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by in Sub-Saharan Africa was 50.5 % 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 60.13 % in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.5 % in 2023.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 26 groups with data for 2023.
- Is share of employment in agrifood systems out of total employment by rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
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.