Agricultural population (FAO, number) by country
The Agricultural Population is defined as all persons depending for their livelihood on agriculture, hunting, fishing or forestry. This estimate comprises all persons actively engaged in agriculture and their non-working dependants. The Agricultural Population series are estimated by FAO based on the total...
What the numbers show
Agricultural population (FAO, number) is currently reported for 53 countries. The highest value is 65.98 million FAO, number in Ethiopia; the lowest is 64,000 FAO, number in Seychelles.
The median across all reporting countries is 7.16 million FAO, number, and the mean is 9.94 million FAO, number.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 1,031.
Over the past decade 38 countries rose and 15 fell. The largest increase was in Niger (up 37.3%), and the largest decrease in Libya (down 36.6%).
Agricultural population: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ethiopia | 65.98 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 17.5% | rising |
| 2 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 39.12 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 22.0% | rising |
| 3 | Nigeria | 38.98 million FAO, number | 2012 | down 4.6% | falling |
| 4 | Tanzania | 34.40 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 24.1% | rising |
| 5 | Kenya | 29.74 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 21.2% | rising |
| 6 | Uganda | 25.73 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 27.9% | rising |
| 7 | Sudan | 22.66 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 7.2% | rising |
| 8 | Egypt | 22.32 million FAO, number | 2012 | down 4.9% | falling |
| 9 | Mozambique | 18.46 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 23.1% | rising |
| 10 | Burkina Faso | 16.09 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 34.1% | rising |
| 11 | Madagascar | 15.15 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 25.5% | rising |
| 12 | Angola | 13.86 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 30.6% | rising |
| 13 | Niger | 13.70 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 37.3% | rising |
| 14 | Ghana | 13.62 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 21.2% | rising |
| 15 | Mali | 12.01 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 25.6% | rising |
| 16 | Malawi | 11.40 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 25.2% | rising |
| 17 | Rwanda | 10.04 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 27.4% | rising |
| 18 | Senegal | 9.12 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 24.9% | rising |
| 19 | Zambia | 8.61 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 18.3% | rising |
| 20 | Guinea | 8.27 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 15.6% | rising |
| 21 | Morocco | 8.00 million FAO, number | 2012 | down 13.3% | falling |
| 22 | Cameroon | 7.88 million FAO, number | 2012 | down 5.5% | rising |
| 23 | Burundi | 7.78 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 29.1% | rising |
| 24 | Chad | 7.50 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 15.4% | rising |
| 25 | Cote d'Ivoire | 7.38 million FAO, number | 2012 | down 7.7% | rising |
| 26 | Algeria | 7.35 million FAO, number | 2012 | down 0.6% | rising |
| 27 | Zimbabwe | 7.16 million FAO, number | 2012 | down 7.9% | rising |
| 28 | Somalia | 6.33 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 17.3% | rising |
| 29 | South Africa | 4.62 million FAO, number | 2012 | down 22.4% | falling |
| 30 | Eritrea | 4.08 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 34.3% | rising |
| 31 | Benin | 3.96 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 9.8% | rising |
| 32 | Sierra Leone | 3.61 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 24.7% | rising |
| 33 | Togo | 3.28 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 11.0% | rising |
| 34 | Central African Republic | 2.80 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 35 | Liberia | 2.58 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 29.6% | rising |
| 36 | Tunisia | 2.13 million FAO, number | 2012 | down 4.6% | falling |
| 37 | Mauritania | 1.81 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 23.9% | rising |
| 38 | Gambia | 1.38 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 27.3% | rising |
| 39 | Congo | 1.29 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 2.0% | rising |
| 40 | Guinea-Bissau | 1.24 million FAO, number | 2012 | up 17.7% | rising |
| 41 | Namibia | 931,000 FAO, number | 2012 | down 0.5% | rising |
| 42 | Botswana | 855,000 FAO, number | 2012 | up 8.4% | rising |
| 43 | Lesotho | 848,000 FAO, number | 2012 | up 2.4% | rising |
| 44 | Djibouti | 675,000 FAO, number | 2012 | up 13.8% | rising |
| 45 | Comoros | 529,000 FAO, number | 2012 | up 22.5% | rising |
| 46 | Equatorial Guinea | 468,000 FAO, number | 2012 | up 23.2% | rising |
| 47 | Gabon | 387,000 FAO, number | 2012 | down 14.9% | falling |
| 48 | Eswatini | 336,000 FAO, number | 2012 | down 8.9% | flat |
| 49 | Libya | 175,000 FAO, number | 2012 | down 36.6% | falling |
| 50 | Mauritius | 97,000 FAO, number | 2012 | down 26.0% | falling |
| 51 | Sao Tome and Principe | 96,000 FAO, number | 2012 | up 6.7% | rising |
| 52 | Cape Verde | 80,000 FAO, number | 2012 | down 18.4% | falling |
| 53 | Seychelles | 64,000 FAO, number | 2012 | up 1.6% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Africa 526.93 million FAO, number
- Sub-Saharan Africa 486.28 million FAO, number
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 485.81 million FAO, number
- Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa 481.65 million FAO, number
- Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa and Nigeria 442.68 million FAO, number
- North Africa 40.66 million FAO, number
About this data
The Agricultural Population is defined as all persons depending for their livelihood on agriculture, hunting, fishing or forestry. This estimate comprises all persons actively engaged in agriculture and their non-working dependants. The Agricultural Population series are estimated by FAO based on the total population series obtained from UN Population Division ("World population prospects: The 2008 Revision") and the ratios of labour force in total population and agricultural labour force in total labour force from ILO: ("Economically active population, 1950-2010: The 4th Revision", ILO, Geneva, 1996). Direct information on agricultural population derived from national population censuses or surveys is scarce.