Ghana's Farm Employment Share Drops to 34.6% as Jobs Shift to Services and Industry
Agriculture's share of Ghana's total employment has fallen to 34.6% in 2025 from 71.8% in 1991, according to International Labour Organization estimates.
In Brief
- •Agriculture's share of Ghana's total employment has fallen to 34.6% in 2025 from 71.8% in 1991, according to International Labour Organization estimates.
- •The decline represents a 51.8% reduction in agriculture's employment share relative to its 1991 level, indicating a significant shift in Ghana's labor market.
- •Ghana's government has framed the current economic phase as a move 'from stability to jobs', focusing on higher productivity and stronger earnings in services and industry.
- •Regional differences in employment shares highlight varying speeds of structural transformation, with urban areas like Greater Accra showing higher service sector employment.
- •Ghana's strategy aims to simultaneously raise agricultural output and reduce import dependence, despite the decline in farm employment.
Why It Matters
The decline in agriculture's employment share in Ghana reflects a broader structural transformation in the country's labor market. This shift is crucial for Ghana's economic strategy to move from stability to job creation, focusing on sectors with higher productivity and stronger earnings. However, the transformation is not uniform across regions, with urban areas leading the way in service sector employment. This highlights the need for targeted policies to support high-value services, manufacturing, and logistics in urban centers, while also addressing the challenges of raising farm productivity and market access in rural areas. The strategy aims to balance the reduction in farm employment with increased domestic agricultural production to reduce import dependence.
Key Details
- Agriculture Employment Share (1991)
- 71.8%
- Agriculture Employment Share (2025)
- 34.6%
- Decline in Agriculture Employment Share
- 51.8%
- Services Employment Share (2025)
- 44.5%
- Industry Employment Share (2025)
- 18.3%
- Savannah Region Agriculture Employment Share (2025)
- 71.8%
- Greater Accra Services Employment Share (2025)
- 74.0%
Context & Background
Ghana's labor market has undergone significant structural changes over the past three decades, with agriculture's share of total employment declining from 71.8% in 1991 to 34.6% in 2025. This transformation is part of a broader global trend towards industrialization and service sector growth, driven by economic development and policy shifts.
Original Reporting & Sources
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