The charts compare the share of the workforce in agriculture, industry, and services across four countries during 1980 and 2010.
Overall, the number of workers in the industrial sector in all four countries showed an upward trend throughout the entire period, while the percentage in other sectors declined.
In 1980, China was the only country with a high proportion of agricultural workers, at approximately 68%. There was a noticeable gap compared to other countries such as Japan, the United States, and Germany, which each had less than 20%. Over the next 30 years, China’s figure dropped to 50%. At the same time, the percentage of workers in Japan, the USA, and Germany followed a similar trend, declining slightly to less than 10%.
Industrial employment rates were generally more even across the four countries. Initially, Germany had 60% of workers in this sector, followed by the USA and Japan at nearly 53% and 50%, respectively, and China at 40%. By 2010, Germany, the USA, and China saw significant growth in their rates to around 81%, 70%, and 80%, respectively. Meanwhile, Japan had the lowest rate, remaining at 50%.
On the other hand, the percentage of workers in the services sector was moderately high in each country in 1980. Germany ranked first, with around 51% of workers, followed closely by the USA and China, each with approximately 50%, and Japan ranked last with nearly 39%. However, in the following 30 years, these figures dropped in all countries. Germany’s share fell to 40%, the USA to around 38%, Japan to 30%, and China to 20%.