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% |
