Primary sector of the economy

The primary sector of the economy is the sector of an economy making direct use of natural resources. This includes agriculture, forestry, fishing and mining. In contrast, the secondary sector produces manufactured goods, and the tertiary sector produces services. The primary sector is usually most important in less-developed countries, and typically less important in industrial countries.

The manufacturing industries that aggregate, pack, package, purify or process the raw materials close to the primary producers are normally considered part of this sector, especially if the raw material is unsuitable for sale or difficult to transport long distances.

Primary industry is a larger sector in developing countries; for instance, animal husbandry is more common in Africa than in Japan. Mining in 19th-century South Wales provides a case study of how an economy can come to rely on one form of activity.

Canada is unusual among developed countries in the importance of its primary sector, with the logging and oil industries being two of Canada's most important. However, in recent years, the number of terminal exchanges have heavily reduced Canada's primary industry, making Canadians rely more on quaternary industry.