The two bar charts compare the percentages of workers employed in three different sectors – agriculture, industry and services – in Germany, the USA, Japan and China in 1980 and 2010.
Overall, the proportion of workers in agriculture decreased in all four countries over the period. In contrast, employment in the service sector generally increased. China had by far the highest percentage of agricultural workers in 1980, while the USA had the highest proportion of workers in services in 2010.
In 1980, agriculture accounted for about 6% of workers in Germany, 4% in the USA and 12% in Japan. The figure for China was much higher, at approximately 74%. Industry employed around 48% of German workers, compared with 36% in the USA, 40% in Japan and 18% in China. Services accounted for about 46%, 60%, 48% and 8% respectively.
By 2010, agricultural employment had fallen to around 1% in Germany, 2% in the USA, 4% in Japan and 36% in China. Meanwhile, the service sector became more important, reaching approximately 67% in Germany, 76% in the USA, 67% in Japan and 34% in China. Industry accounted for about 32%, 22%, 29% and 30% respectively.
