Whereas the number of people employed within agriculture in the world decreased over the past 30 years, the number of employees within trade, transportation, accommodation and food, as well as business and administrative services has exploded, rising from 442 millions in 1991 to over one billion in 2023, meaning that it's now the economic sector that employs the highest number of people in the world. Also the public administration sector has seen a significant growth in the number of employees over the past decades.
Number of employees worldwide from 1991 to 2022, by sector
(in millions)
Characteristic
Agriculture
Manufacturing
Construction
Mining and quarrying; Electricity, gas and water supply
Trade, transportation, accommodation and food, business and adm. services
Public adm., community, social, and other services and activites
The source adds the following information regarding methodology: "The employed comprise all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). The series is part of the ILO modelled estimates and is harmonized to account for differences in national data and scope of coverage, collection and tabulation methodologies as well as for other country-specific factors."
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ILO. (December 12, 2023). Number of employees worldwide from 1991 to 2022, by sector (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339213/global-employment-figures-sector/
ILO. "Number of employees worldwide from 1991 to 2022, by sector (in millions)." Chart. December 12, 2023. Statista. Accessed December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339213/global-employment-figures-sector/
ILO. (2023). Number of employees worldwide from 1991 to 2022, by sector (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339213/global-employment-figures-sector/
ILO. "Number of Employees Worldwide from 1991 to 2022, by Sector (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 12 Dec 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339213/global-employment-figures-sector/
ILO, Number of employees worldwide from 1991 to 2022, by sector (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339213/global-employment-figures-sector/ (last visited December 22, 2024)
Number of employees worldwide from 1991 to 2022, by sector (in millions) [Graph], ILO, December 12, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339213/global-employment-figures-sector/
