{"chart":{"title":"Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas","subtitle":"Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. The share of people employed in agriculture includes working-age people with a job in farming, forestry, fishing, and related activities.","note":"Settlements are classified by population density and size, using harmonized definitions across countries ([Degree of Urbanisation Framework](https://human-settlement.emergency.copernicus.eu/degurba.php)).","citation":"ILO via World Bank; European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025)","originalChartUrl":"https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/employment-in-agriculture-vs-share-of-population-living-in-rural-areas","selection":[]},"columns":{"Share of people employed in agricultural sector":{"titleShort":"Share of people employed in agricultural sector","titleLong":"Share of people employed in agricultural sector","descriptionShort":"The share of people employed in agriculture includes working-age people with a job in farming, forestry, fishing, and related activities, including those temporarily absent.","descriptionKey":"- This measures the percentage of all workers who are employed in agriculture.\n- Agriculture includes farming, forestry, fishing, and related activities.\n- People are counted even if they are temporarily absent from work due to sickness, leave, or seasonal factors.","shortUnit":"%","unit":"%","timespan":"1991-2023","type":"Numeric","owidVariableId":1105508,"shortName":"sl_agr_empl_zs","lastUpdated":"2025-09-08","nextUpdate":"2026-11-30","citationShort":"ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data","citationLong":"ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. “Share of people employed in agricultural sector” [dataset]. World Bank Gender Statistics, “World Bank Gender Statistics” [original data].","fullMetadata":"https://api.ourworldindata.org/v1/indicators/1105508.metadata.json"},"Share of population living in rural areas":{"titleShort":"Share of population living in rural areas","titleLong":"Share of population living in rural areas - DEGURBA","descriptionShort":"Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.","descriptionKey":"- The [Degree of Urbanization](https://human-settlement.emergency.copernicus.eu/degurba.php) classifies areas as cities, towns and suburbs, or rural areas based on population density and settlement size rather than administrative boundaries. Developed by six international organizations and endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission in 2020, it provides consistent definitions for comparing urbanization across countries.\n- Rural areas are places with less than 300 people per km² or a total population of less than 5,000.\n- The classification uses 1 km² grid cells, combining satellite imagery with census data to map where people actually live.\n- For 1950–1975, estimates use UN national statistics. From 1975 onwards, population is mapped to 1 km² grid cells using the [Global Human Settlement Layer](https://human-settlement.emergency.copernicus.eu/).\n- The [Degree of Urbanization](https://human-settlement.emergency.copernicus.eu/degurba.php) applies a single global standard, so urbanization rates may differ from country-reported figures, which use varying national definitions.\n- For small countries, values can change sharply when an entire area shifts from one classification to another.","descriptionProcessing":"Shares were calculated by dividing the area or population of each settlement type by the total, then multiplying by 100.","shortUnit":"%","unit":"%","timespan":"1950-2020","type":"Numeric","owidVariableId":1130230,"shortName":"value__metric_popshare__location_type_rural_total__data_type_estimates","lastUpdated":"2025-12-10","nextUpdate":"2026-12-10","citationShort":"European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data","citationLong":"European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. “Share of population living in rural areas – DEGURBA” [dataset]. European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), “Global Human Settlement Layer Dataset” [original data].","fullMetadata":"https://api.ourworldindata.org/v1/indicators/1130230.metadata.json"},"World region according to OWID":{"titleShort":"World region according to OWID","titleLong":"World region according to OWID","descriptionShort":"Regions defined by Our World in Data, which are used in OWID charts and maps.","unit":"","timespan":"2023-2023","type":"Continent","owidVariableId":900801,"shortName":"owid_region","lastUpdated":"2023-01-01","citationShort":"Our World in Data","citationLong":"Our World in Data. “World region according to OWID” [dataset]. Our World in Data, “Regions” [original data].","fullMetadata":"https://api.ourworldindata.org/v1/indicators/900801.metadata.json"}},"dateDownloaded":"2026-10-31"}