Namibia Agriculture Employment
Employment in agriculture SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS
Namibia's agriculture employment was 22.34% in 2025, ranked 106th globally. This represents a 1.3% decrease from 2024. Data from World Bank, covering 1991–2025.
Overview
Namibia's agriculture employment stood at 22.34% in 2025, a decline of +0.30% from 2024. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 22.06% by 2026. Namibia ranked 106th globally.
Namibia’s share of the labour force employed in agriculture fell dramatically from its all‑time peak of 45.31 % in 1991 to a trough of 20.07 % in 2016, before rising modestly to 22.34 % in 2025, ranking 106th globally. The sharp decline over the 1990s and 2000s reflects structural shifts toward mining and services, as well as recurring droughts that reduced farm viability. By 2025 the sector’s employment share is comparable to peer economies such as Turkmenistan (21.93 %) and Honduras (22.42 %), suggesting that Namibia’s agricultural labour market has largely converged with other developing nations that balance limited arable land with diversified export bases. The modest rebound since 2016 coincides with government initiatives to promote climate‑smart farming and expand irrigation, but the sector remains vulnerable to rainfall variability. Continued investment in drought‑resilient technologies and value‑added processing could stabilise the employment share and potentially reverse the downward trajectory in the coming decade.
Data & projection
| Year | Agriculture Employment | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2028* trend | 21.48% | - | - |
| 2027* trend | 21.77% | - | - |
| 2026* trend | 22.06% | - | - |
| 2025 | 22.34% | −0.30% | #106 |
| 2024 | 22.64% | −0.30% | #107 |
| 2023 | 22.94% | −0.29% | #107 |
| 2022 | 23.23% | −0.26% | #108 |
| 2021 | 23.49% | −0.11% | #109 |
| 2020 | 23.59% | +0.74% | #107 |
| 2019 | 22.85% | +0.26% | #108 |
| 2018 | 22.59% | +1.20% | #106 |
| 2017 | 21.39% | +1.32% | #104 |
| 2016 | 20.07% | −4.34% | #103 |
| 2015 | 24.41% | −4.91% | #105 |
| 2014 | 29.32% | −2.07% | #117 |
| 2013 | 31.39% | +4.02% | #119 |
| 2012 | 27.37% | −0.63% | #108 |
| 2011 | 28.00% | −0.69% | #109 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Namibia matched the Stagflation Risk pattern in 2009. Historically, 38% of countries showing this pattern (117 out of 307) saw agriculture employment improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Namibia's agriculture employment was 22.34% in 2025. Ranked 106th globally. This represents a 1.3% decrease from the previous year.
Namibia's agriculture employment peaked at 45.31% in 1991.
The lowest agriculture employment in Namibia was 20.07% in 2016.
Namibia ranks 106th globally in agriculture employment as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
Namibia's agriculture employment is projected to reach 22.06% by 2026 based on trend extrapolation.
The agriculture employment of Namibia in 2025 was 22.34%. This ranks 106th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_namibia_agriculture-employment,
title = {Namibia Agriculture Employment},
url = {https://historysaid.com/namibia/agriculture-employment/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}