Labor > Agricultural workers > Male: Countries Compared

Author: Ian Graham, Staff Editor

Countries with a high percentage of people employed in the agricultural sector are, generally speaking, poorer and less developed than those with a small percentage of agricultural workers. <p>In more industrialized societies, the agricultural industry tends to be more automated, with heavier reliance on machines and equipment than on human labor. <p>Also, in a poorer country, subsistence farming is a more legitimate alternative to low-wage labor than in a wealthier nation. Very few people in developed countries opt to pursue subsistence farming for economic reasons, though some do for cultural or social reasons. <p>Another factor in higher agricultural sector employment is the availability of cheap labor. Farm work is usually seasonal, with short periods of intense labor and long periods of waiting. It is easier and more economically sensible to find and use cheap, short-term labor in a poor country with low wages and high unemployment than in an industrialized nation with more plentiful employment alternatives.

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DEFINITION: Proportion of employed males engaged in the agricultural sector. Employment by economic activity (%) (most recent year available between 1995 and 2001). Note: As a result of a number of limitations in the data, comparisons of labour statistics over time and across countries should be made with caution. For detailed notes on the data see ILO (2002. Estimates and Projections of the Economically Active Population, 1950-2010, 4th ed., rev. 2. Database. Geneva; 2002. Key Indicators of the Labour Market 2001-2002. February 2002; and 2002. Laboursta Database. February 2002). The percentage shares of employment by economic activity may not sum to 100 because of rounding or the omission of activities not classified.

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CONTENTS

MAP
INTERESTING
Q+A

Totals

#	COUNTRY	AMOUNT	DATE
1	Ethiopia	89%	2010
2	Bangladesh	54%	2010
3	Kyrgyzstan	52%	2010
=4	Thailand	50%	2010
=4	Honduras	50%	2010
6	Philippines	47%	2010
=7	Pakistan	41%	2010
=7	Indonesia	41%	2010
9	Romania	39%	2010
=10	Sri Lanka	38%	2010
=10	Namibia	38%	2010
=12	El Salvador	37%	2010
=12	Belize	37%	2010
14	Guatemala	36%	2010
15	Turkey	34%	2010
16	Dominica	31%	2010
17	Jamaica	30%	2010
18	Egypt	28%	2010
19	Saint Lucia	27%	2010
20	Brazil	26%	2010
21	Panama	25%	2010
=22	Lithuania	24%	2010
=22	Dominican Republic	24%	2010
	Emerging markets average (profile)	23.15%	2010
24	Mexico	23%	2010
25	Costa Rica	22%	2010
26	Malaysia	21%	2010
27	Kenya	20%	2010
	Former Spanish colonies average (profile)	19.71%	2010
=28	Chile	19%	2010
=28	Poland	19%	2010
30	Latvia	17%	2010
=31	Grenada	16%	2010
=31	Venezuela	16%	2010
=31	Croatia	16%	2010
=31	Greece	16%	2010
=35	Mauritius	15%	2010
=35	Russia	15%	2010
=37	Ireland	12%	2010
=37	Iceland	12%	2010
	NATO countries average (profile)	11.62%	2010
=39	Portugal	11%	2010
=39	Estonia	11%	2010
=39	Trinidad and Tobago	11%	2010
=39	Cyprus	11%	2010
=39	Slovenia	11%	2010
=39	New Zealand	11%	2010
	European Union average (profile)	10.52%	2010
=45	Ecuador	10%	2010
=45	South Korea	10%	2010
=45	Slovakia	10%	2010
48	Hungary	9%	2010
	Eurozone average (profile)	8.69%	2010
=49	Finland	8%	2010
=49	Peru	8%	2010
=49	Spain	8%	2010
	High income OECD countries average (profile)	7.77%	2010
=52	Suriname	7%	2010
=52	Paraguay	7%	2010
=54	Czech Republic	6%	2010
=54	Australia	6%	2010
=54	Morocco	6%	2010
=54	Austria	6%	2010
=54	Italy	6%	2010
=54	The Bahamas	6%	2010
=54	Uruguay	6%	2010
=54	Norway	6%	2010
=62	Barbados	5%	2010
=62	Denmark	5%	2010
=62	Japan	5%	2010
=62	Switzerland	5%	2010
=62	Canada	5%	2010
=67	Nigeria	4%	2010
=67	United States	4%	2010
=67	Sweden	4%	2010
=67	Netherlands	4%	2010
	Group of 7 countries (G7) average (profile)	3.86%	2010
=71	Israel	3%	2010
=71	Belgium	3%	2010
=71	Germany	3%	2010
=74	Colombia	2%	2010
=74	United Kingdom	2%	2010
=74	Bolivia	2%	2010
=74	France	2%	2010
78	Argentina	1%	2010

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