Primary sector of the economy

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The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. [1] [2] [3]

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The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in developing countries than it does in developed countries. For example, in 2018, agriculture, forestry, and fishing comprised more than 15% of GDP in sub-Saharan Africa [4] but less than 1% of GDP in North America. [5]

In developed countries the primary sector has become more technologically advanced, enabling for example the mechanization of farming, as compared with lower-tech methods [lower-alpha 1] in poorer countries. [6] More developed economies may invest additional capital in primary means of production: for example, in the United States corn belt, combine harvesters pick the corn, and sprayers spray large amounts of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides, producing a higher yield than is possible using less capital-intensive techniques. These technological advances and investment allow the primary sector to employ a smaller workforce, so developed countries tend to have a smaller percentage of their workforce involved in primary activities, instead having a higher percentage involved in the secondary and tertiary sectors. [7]

List of countries by agricultural output

Largest countries by agricultural output (in PPP terms) according to the IMF and CIA World Factbook, at peak level as of 2018
Economy
Countries by agricultural output (in PPP terms) at peak level as of 2018 (billions in USD)
(01) Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
2,101
(02) Flag of India.svg  India
1,400
(03) Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
486
(—) Flag of Europe.svg  European Union
352
(04) Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
284
(05) Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria
253
(06) Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
209
(07) Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
196
(08) Flag of the United States.svg  United States
185
(09) Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
162
(10) Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey
155
(11) Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt
154
(12) Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand
109
(13) Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam
108
(14) Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
108
(15) Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina
101
(16) Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
100
(17) Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
92
(18) Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar
89
(19) Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria
87
(20) Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia
84

The twenty largest countries by agricultural output (in PPP terms) at peak level as of 2018, according to the IMF and CIA World Factbook.

See also

Notes

  1. Often using non-powered equipment, sometimes even hand-picking and hand-planting

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References

  1. Chand, S. N. (2006). Dictionary of economics. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 268. ISBN   81-269-0535-2. OCLC   297507928.
  2. "primary producer". CollinsDictionary.com . HarperCollins . Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  3. Kjeldsen-Kragh, Søren (2007). The Role of Agriculture in Economic Development: The Lessons of History. Copenhagen Business School Press DK. p. 73. ISBN   978-87-630-0194-6.
  4. "Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP) | Sub-Saharan Africa". World Bank Open Data. 2018. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  5. "Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP) | North America". World Bank Open Data. 2018. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  6. "Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) - Data". data.worldbank.org.
  7. H Dwight H. Perkins: Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science, Vol. 31, No. 1, China's Developmental Experience (March 1973)

Further reading