How important are agriculture, forestry, and fishing within an economy? World Bank indicator NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS answers that question by expressing the sector’s value added as a percentage of GDP. The supplied latest-value file contains 206 countries and separately reported areas, but reference years span 1990–2025. The main map and rankings therefore use only the 158 observations actually dated 2025.
The 2025 median is 6.57% and the simple country-level mean is 10.18%. Niger is highest at 47.59%, followed by Guinea-Bissau at 40.63%, Comoros at 36.58%, Chad at 36.34%, and Burundi at 34.29%. Korea, Rep. is 1.46%, China 6.66%, India 16.23%, and Brazil 6.09%. A high share means the sector contributes a large portion of GDP; it does not mean the country has the world’s largest absolute agricultural output or the highest productivity.
Table of Contents
The indicator compares value added, not gross sales, with GDP
The World Bank places agriculture, forestry, and fishing in ISIC Rev. 4 divisions 01–03. The scope includes activities such as crop production, livestock, forestry, and fishing. Value added is the contribution created by a producer or industry after subtracting the intermediate goods and services used in production from gross output. It is not the same as farm sales, commodity exports, or gross agricultural revenue.
If an economy has GDP of $100 billion and agriculture, forestry, and fishing create $10 billion of value added, the ratio is about 10%. The same $10 billion of sector value added would be only 2% of a $500 billion economy. That denominator effect is why the percentage measures economic structure rather than absolute sector size.
The existing current-dollar value-added map answers a different question
Green Map already has a 2024 page based on World Bank NV.AGR.TOTL.CD, which measures agriculture, forestry, and fishing value added in current U.S. dollars. That is an absolute scale measure. NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS uses the same broad sector concept but divides value added by GDP. A large economy can therefore have enormous agricultural value added and a modest GDP share, while a smaller economy can have a much higher share with a lower absolute dollar value.
China illustrates the distinction. Its agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector is one of the largest in absolute current-dollar terms, yet the 2025 GDP share in this dataset is 6.66%. Niger records 47.59%, not because its absolute sector is larger than China’s, but because agriculture, forestry, and fishing make up a much larger part of Niger’s economy.
Only the 158 values dated 2025 are used in the synchronized comparison
The latest non-missing observation is dated 2025 for 158 rows, 2024 for 29, and 2023 for 7. Another 2 end in 2022 and the rest are older. The United States’ retained latest observation is from 2021, Canada’s from 2022, and Japan’s from 2024, so none of those countries is inserted into the 2025 map using an older value.
| Latest observation year | Countries/areas |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 158 |
| 2024 | 29 |
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2021 and earlier | 10 |
This keeps geographic differences from being mixed with time-period differences. A gray United States, Canada, or Japan on this synchronized map does not mean zero agricultural value added. It means the file does not provide a 2025 observation that can be compared on the same date as the other countries.
The 2025 median is 6.57%, while the mean is 10.18%
Across the 158 synchronized observations, the first quartile is 2.59% and the third quartile is 15.55%. The middle half therefore lies between roughly 2.6% and 15.6% of GDP. The mean is above the median because a smaller group of economies has very high shares in the 20–48% range.
| 2025 agriculture, forestry & fishing share of GDP | Countries/areas |
|---|---|
| Below 1% | 12 |
| 1% to <3% | 36 |
| 3% to <5% | 20 |
| 5% to <10% | 33 |
| 10% to <20% | 28 |
| 20% or more | 29 |
There are 12 observations below 1%, 36 from 1% to below 3%, and 20 from 3% to below 5%. Another 33 lie from 5% to below 10%, 28 from 10% to below 20%, and 29 are at 20% or higher. These bands are visualization choices, not official development or industrial-structure categories.
Niger is close to half of GDP, with several West and Central African economies also high
Niger records 47.59% in 2025. Guinea-Bissau is 40.63%, Comoros 36.58%, Chad 36.34%, Burundi 34.29%, Mali 33.02%, Ethiopia 32.82%, Liberia 32.65%, Guinea 31.29%, and Malawi 30.03%. Sierra Leone, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Uganda, and Mozambique are also among the highest synchronized observations.
| Country/area | 2025 share of GDP |
|---|---|
| Niger | 47.59% |
| Guinea-Bissau | 40.63% |
| Comoros | 36.58% |
| Chad | 36.34% |
| Burundi | 34.29% |
| Mali | 33.02% |
| Ethiopia | 32.82% |
| Liberia | 32.65% |
| Guinea | 31.29% |
| Malawi | 30.03% |
| Sierra Leone | 29.54% |
| Sudan | 29.36% |
| Central African Republic | 27.61% |
| Uganda | 26.13% |
| Mozambique | 25.57% |
The regional concentration of high shares does not establish high productivity. The ratio depends on both the sector’s value added and the size and composition of total GDP. In an economy with a smaller manufacturing and services base, agriculture, forestry, and fishing can account for a large GDP share even when absolute value added is far below that of a large diversified economy.
Nigeria is 22.98%, India 16.23%, and Korea 1.46%
Among selected economies, Nigeria records 22.98%, India 16.23%, and Indonesia 13.10%. China is 6.66%, Brazil 6.09%, Argentina 5.53%, Türkiye 5.21%, and Mexico 3.88%. South Africa is 2.83%, Saudi Arabia 2.59%, Australia 2.27%, Korea 1.46%, France 1.40%, Germany 0.87%, and the United Kingdom 0.64%.
| Country | 2025 agriculture, forestry & fishing share of GDP |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | 22.98% |
| India | 16.23% |
| Indonesia | 13.10% |
| China | 6.66% |
| Brazil | 6.09% |
| Argentina | 5.53% |
| Turkiye | 5.21% |
| Mexico | 3.88% |
| South Africa | 2.83% |
| Saudi Arabia | 2.59% |
| Australia | 2.27% |
| Korea, Rep. | 1.46% |
| France | 1.40% |
| Germany | 0.87% |
| United Kingdom | 0.64% |
These percentages are not food self-sufficiency rates, farmland shares, or agricultural employment rates. The United Kingdom’s 0.64% does not mean only 0.64% of its land is agricultural, and Nigeria’s 22.98% does not mean 22.98% of its land is farmed. Each of those questions requires a different indicator.
Singapore, Luxembourg, and Bahrain are far below 1%
At the low end, Singapore records 0.025%, Luxembourg 0.232%, Bahrain 0.241%, Qatar 0.306%, Malta 0.469%, Andorra 0.484%, and Kuwait 0.531%. The United Kingdom is 0.640%, Switzerland 0.645%, Belgium 0.730%, and Germany 0.871%. The correct interpretation is simply that agriculture, forestry, and fishing contribute a small share of measured GDP in those economies.
Different low-share economies can arrive there for different reasons. A highly urbanized small service economy is structurally different from a large diversified industrial economy. Climate, land availability, imports, productivity, and the scale of other sectors all require separate evidence.
Agricultural land share and agriculture’s GDP share are different measures
The agricultural-land share map measures the percentage of national land classified as agricultural land, including arable land, permanent crops, and permanent pasture. NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS measures economic value added relative to GDP. A country can have extensive agricultural land and a modest GDP share if other sectors are very large, or a smaller agricultural land share and a higher economic contribution if production is intensive.
Forest rents are different again. The World Bank forest-rent indicator estimates resource rent associated with roundwood harvest and expresses it relative to GDP. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing value added is a broader national-accounts concept covering the sector’s value added. The two percentages should not be added together or treated as alternative labels for the same thing.
Data source and mapping method
The statistical source is World Bank World Development Indicators NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS – Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP). The World Bank associates the sector with ISIC Rev. 4 divisions 01–03 and defines value added as output minus intermediate consumption. Its metadata also notes that for VAB countries, gross value added at factor cost is used as the denominator.
All headline statistics, rankings, and map classes use only the 158 observations dated 2025. Older latest observations are not backfilled. ISO-3 codes match 137 observations directly to the Natural Earth low-resolution boundary layer. Small islands and separately reported areas may have valid values without appearing as distinct filled polygons at this world-map scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a 20% agriculture, forestry and fishing share of GDP mean?
It means the sector’s value added is roughly equal to 20% of GDP in that reference year. It does not mean farm sales or agricultural land account for 20%.
Which country has the highest 2025 share in this comparison?
Niger is highest among the 158 synchronized 2025 observations at about 47.59%, followed by Guinea-Bissau at 40.63%, Comoros at 36.58%, and Chad at 36.34%.
Does a high GDP share mean high agricultural productivity?
Not necessarily. The ratio measures sector value added relative to the whole economy. Productivity requires measures such as value added per worker or output per unit of land.
Why are the United States, Canada, and Japan absent from the 2025 map?
Their latest retained values in this file are from 2021, 2022, and 2024 respectively. Older observations are not backfilled into the synchronized 2025 comparison.
Related Articles
These Green Map pages help separate absolute sector value, land use, and forest resource rent from the GDP-share measure used here.
- Global Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added Map – 2024 Country Comparison
- Global Agricultural Land Share Map – 2023 Country Comparison
- How Large Are Forest Rents Relative to GDP? 2021 World Map
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data.
These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
