Employment in agriculture

In brief

The "Employment in agriculture" ranking covers 184 countries and territories. Lowest value: Singapore (0.1 %). Highest value: Burundi (85.3 %). Median: 14.4 % (data: 2021–2025). The top 10% of countries exceed 53.4 %, while the bottom 10% stay below 1.6 %. By continent, the median is highest in Africa (40.2 %) and lowest in Europe (3.6 %).

Median by continent

Why this indicator matters

This indicator shows what share of workers earn a living from the land, livestock, fishing or forestry. It helps compare economic models between countries and their level of development. It is a good reference for understanding how the working population lives.

What makes this indicator vary

It falls when agriculture mechanizes, because fewer hands are needed to produce the same amount. The growth of industry and services also draws workers to the cities. It stays high where farming is subsistence-based and poorly equipped, or where other jobs are scarce.

Reading precautions

It measures the share of jobs, not the quantity produced or incomes. In some countries, informal or seasonal farm work is hard to count, and estimates sometimes rely on surveys or models.