Primary sector of the economy

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. 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 but less than 1% of GDP in North America. In developed countries the primary sector has become more technologically advanced, enabling for example the mechanization of farming, as compared with lower-tech methods in poorer countries. 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.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related concepts (12)

Related courses (11)

Related lectures (31)

Primary sector of the economy

Developing country

A developing country is a sovereign state with a less developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreement on which countries fit this category. The terms low and middle-income country (LMIC) and newly emerging economy (NEE) are often used interchangeably but refers only to the economy of the countries.

Economic sector

One classical breakdown of economic activity distinguishes three sectors: Primary: involves the retrieval and production of raw-material commodities, such as corn, coal, wood or iron. Miners, farmers and fishermen are all workers in the primary sector. Secondary: involves the transformation of raw or intermediate materials into goods, as in steel into cars, or textiles into clothing. Builders and dressmakers work in the secondary sector. Tertiary: involves the supplying of services to consumers and businesses, such as babysitting, cinemas or banking.

AR-302(h): Studio BA6 (Weinand)

Le studio Weinand développe une approche polytechnique du projet. Via les différentes présentations et ateliers, les étudiants sont encouragés à repousser les frontières de la discipline pour développ

AR-515: UE C : Habitat and society

En articulant des savoirs théoriques et architecturaux, avec des savoirs socio-politiques, l'UE vise à construire un imaginaire autour de l'habitat productif.

PENS-320: Regenerative materials territories

Ce cours questionne les matériaux durables et les ressources disponibles mobilisées en Suisse et dans le monde. Il aborde la matière dans une approche architecturale, anthropologique et expérimentale

Economic Growth: Measuring GDP, GPI, and Tertiarisation of Economy HUM-471: Economic growth and sustainability I

Explores Swiss GDP decomposition, savings dynamics, GPI as an alternative to GDP, and challenges in using GDP as a welfare indicator.

Emergence of Informal Initiatives

Explores the emergence of informal transportation initiatives and challenges in African urban mobility.

Energy Demand Modeling: Industry Sector CIVIL-447: Modelling of energy systems

Explores energy demand modeling in the industry sector and the use of techno-economic models for forecasting.