EU countries by employment in agriculture
Romania had the highest employment in agriculture of 27 EU countries in 2017, at 13.9%. Malta had the lowest, at 1%. The median was 3.7%. Source: the World Bank.
Map of EU countries, 2017
- Under 2.1
- 2.1 to 3.4
- 3.4 to 4.2
- 4.2 to 6.9
- 6.9 and over
All EU countries, 2017
Full ranking
| Rank | EU countries | 2017 (%) | Change on 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romania | 13.9 | -0.2 pts |
| 2 | Greece | 11.7 | -0.3 pts |
| 3 | Poland | 10.2 | -0.4 pts |
| 4 | Lithuania | 7.8 | -0.2 pts |
| 5 | Bulgaria | 7.2 | +0.3 pts |
| 6 | Croatia | 7 | -0.5 pts |
| 7 | Latvia | 6.7 | -1 pts |
| 8 | Slovenia | 5.6 | +0.5 pts |
| 9 | Ireland | 5 | -0.2 pts |
| 10 | Hungary | 5 | -0 pts |
| 11 | Spain | 4.3 | +0.1 pts |
| 12 | Austria | 3.9 | -0.4 pts |
| 13 | Italy | 3.8 | -0.1 pts |
| 14 | Finland | 3.7 | -0.2 pts |
| 15 | Estonia | 3.6 | -0.3 pts |
| 16 | Slovakia | 3.4 | -0.1 pts |
| 17 | Portugal | 3.4 | -0.3 pts |
| 18 | Czechia | 2.8 | -0.1 pts |
| 19 | France | 2.6 | -0.3 pts |
| 20 | Cyprus | 2.5 | -1.1 pts |
| 21 | Netherlands | 2.2 | 0 pts |
| 22 | Denmark | 2.1 | -0.2 pts |
| 23 | Sweden | 1.8 | -0.1 pts |
| 24 | Germany | 1.3 | -0 pts |
| 25 | Belgium | 1.2 | -0.1 pts |
| 26 | Luxembourg | 1.1 | -0.4 pts |
| 27 | Malta | 1 | -0.2 pts |
Other periods
About this ranking
People employed in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing (ISIC Rev. 4 section A), as a percentage of total employment. ILO modelled estimates, ages 15 and over.
ILO modelled estimates: model outputs that fill years without a survey, not survey results. The latest year is a nowcast and is revised as surveys arrive. Sectors follow ISIC; where a country counts the armed forces, they are in services.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.Citation styles
APA 7
World Bank. (2026). Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS) (EU countries by employment in agriculture, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS
MLA 9
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS), EU countries by employment in agriculture, 2017. World Bank, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-agriculture/eu-countries?period=2017. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
World Bank. 2026. Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS). EU countries by employment in agriculture, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-agriculture/eu-countries?period=2017.
Harvard
World Bank (2026) Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS), EU countries by employment in agriculture, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-agriculture/eu-countries?period=2017 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{world_eu_countries_by_employment_2017,
author = {{World Bank}},
title = {{Employment in agriculture (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS): EU countries by employment in agriculture, 2017}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS},
urldate = {2026-10-18},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-agriculture/eu-countries?period=2017. Publisher attribution: World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Employment in agriculture (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - World Bank
TI - Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS): EU countries by employment in agriculture, 2017
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
PB - World Bank
DB - Invokely
UR - https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-agriculture/eu-countries?period=2017
Y2 - 2026/10/18
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-agriculture/eu-countries?period=2017.
N1 - Publisher attribution: World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
ER -
Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank EU countries by employment in agriculture using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"employment_agriculture_share","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=employment_agriculture_share&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(27)&limit=10Questions
Which EU country has the highest employment in agriculture?
Romania, with 13.9% in 2017, according to the World Bank.
Which EU country has the lowest employment in agriculture?
Malta, with 1% in 2017.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.