Global estimates of women's and men's employment in agrifood systems from 2000 to 2021

Despite the recognized importance of women in agrifood systems (AFS), global estimates of their employment—particularly in the off-farm segment—remain scarce. This study addresses this gap by developing an empirical methodology to generate sex-disaggregated AFS employment estimates worldwide, leveraging data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Using this approach, we construct a novel sex-disaggregated dataset covering 183 countries from 2000 to 2021, including a balanced panel of 143 countries covering 93 percent of the global population. Our findings show that in 2021, AFS employed 43 percent of working men and 40 percent of working women globally, reflecting a decline of 12 percentage points since 2000, driven primarily by reductions in agricultural employment. Women accounted for 41 percent of the off-farm AFS workforce, with higher shares in lower-income regions. However, both men and women in agriculture remain concentrated in vulnerable self-employment, including contributing family work. While off-farm AFS offers more wage employment opportunities, women remain disproportionately disadvantaged in accessing these jobs, underscoring persistent gender disparities across regions. These findings provide the first global, sex-disaggregated evidence on AFS employment trends and highlight the need for targeted policies to enhance women's participation and economic opportunities, particularly within higher-value segments of AFS. New sex-disaggregated AFS employment data for 183 countries, with a 2000–21 panel of 143 covering 93% of global population. In 2021, agrifood systems employed 43% of working men and 40% of working women worldwide. AFS participation is highest in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia, and Southeastern Asia. During 2000–2021, AFS jobs fell 24% for women and 23% for men, mainly due to agriculture decline. Women hold 41% of off-farm AFS jobs, mostly in vulnerable, lower-paid roles like processing and retail.