A new estimate for global and country-level employment in agrifood systems

• Globally, 1.29B people worked in agrifood systems in 2021: 868M in agriculture, 418M in non-agriculture AFS. • AFS jobs dominate Africa (64%) and Asia (42%), with agriculture accounting for 48% and 29%, respectively. • Overall, 3.78B people live in households reliant on agrifood system-based livelihoods. • New dataset covers 184 countries (99% of population) and includes a balanced panel of 149 countries from 2000–2021. Global and national policy discourse and agendas are moving beyond traditional silos of agriculture, nutrition, health, and climate change to address the challenges facing agrifood systems (AFS) holistically. In this paper, we provide a global estimate of AFS employment using international labour force statistics. Starting from country-level employment data from the International Labor Organization (ILO), disaggregated by economic activity, we present a methodology to fill data gaps in identifying agrifood systems employment. Our final dataset includes 184 countries, covering 99 percent of the global population, with a balanced panel of 149 countries from 2000 to 2021. This panel covering 95 percent of the global population allows us to more confidently discuss the evolution of AFS employment trends at global and regional levels. Overall, close to 1.29 billion people were employed in AFS (868 million in agriculture and 418 million in non-agriculture AFS) in 2021, and 3.78 billion people worldwide live in households linked to AFS-based livelihoods. The largest number of AFS workers is in Asia, while the greatest share of AFS workers out of total employment is in Africa. Across all regions of the world, AFS employment has decreased since 2000, driven primarily by a reduction in agricultural employment. In most regions, non-agricultural AFS employment has maintained a stable share of employment over time, around 10 percent, while representing an increasing share of total AFS employment.