Every Country’s Top Employment Sector

The New Diplomat
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Key Takeaways

  • In low-income countries, most people work in farming, while in rich countries three-quarters are in services.
  • Industry is no longer the main employer in any country. For comparison, in the 1970s it accounted for 46% of the workforce in the UK.

Employment patterns vary greatly depending on a country’s level of development. This map highlights the dominant employment sector in each nation, based on the most recent data from the World Bank. It breaks down employment by sector: services, agriculture, and industry.

Globally, services now employ half of the world’s workers, but agriculture and industry remain crucial sources of jobs in many regions.

Services Dominate in High-Income Countries

In wealthy economies, services employ nearly three-quarters (74%) of the workforce. This includes jobs in healthcare, education, retail, finance, and technology. Agriculture, by contrast, accounts for just 3% of workers in these nations.

The shift reflects decades of industrialization and the transition toward knowledge- and service-based economies. In addition, countries with high urbanization rates almost always show services as the top employer.

Agriculture Still Central in Low-Income Countries

In low-income countries, 57% of workers are employed in agriculture, making it the largest sector by far. Farming provides food security and livelihoods, though it often reflects limited industrial growth. Services employ only about one-third of workers, while industry remains relatively small at 11%.

A Global Split Between Sectors

Looking at the world overall, the employment distribution is more balanced: 50% in services, 26% in agriculture, and 24% in industry.

Employment type Services Agriculture Industrial
World 50% 26% 24%
High income 74% 3% 23%
Low income 32% 57% 11%

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