Sectors of Economic Activities 

  • Economic activities are those activities through which people can earn money to sustain their life.
  • Example: people going to work in factories, offices, etc.
  • In other words, activities that involve the production, distribution, exchange, and consumption of products and services are referred to as economic activities.
  • People are engaged in various types of economic activities to produce goods and services.
  • Economic activities are classified into three sectors.
    • Primary Sector
    • Secondary Sector 
    • Tertiary Sector

Primary Sector

  • Activities that are undertaken by directly using natural resources come under the primary sector.
  • Production of a good is done by exploiting natural resources , biological processes of animals, climatic factors etc.
  • These are called primary activities because it forms a base for all other products that we subsequently make.
  • Since most of the natural products we get are from agriculture, dairy, fishing, and forestry, this sector is also called agriculture and related sectors
  • Activities related to agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, and animal husbandry are included in this sector.

Secondary Sector

  • Activities that include transforming resources into different forms using production techniques that are typically associated with industrial activity come under the secondary sector.
  • Activities related to manufacturing and construction are included in this sector.
  • It is also referred to as the "industrial sector" because it grew to be associated with various emerging industries.
  • For example - the mining of iron ore falls in the primary sector but the manufacturing of steel falls in the secondary sector.

Tertiary Sector

  • Activities that help in the development of the primary and secondary sectors are comes under the tertiary sector .
  • These activities , by themselves, do not produce a good but they are an aid or support for the production process . Such as transportation.
  • For example, goods that are produced in the primary or secondary sector would need to be transported by trucks or trains and then sold in wholesale and retail shops .
  • Since these activities generate services rather than goods, the tertiary sector is also called the service sector .
  • Services related to transport, banking, insurance, warehousing, communication, advertising , etc are included in this sector .
  • The service sector also includes some necessary services that may not directly contribute to the production of goods.
  • For example - teachers, doctors , and those who provide personal services such as washermen, barbers, cobblers, lawyers, and people to do administrative and accounting work.
  • New information technology-based services, such as internet cafes, ATM booths, call centers, software firms, and so on, have emerged in recent years are also categorized in tertiary sector
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