Mexico vs South Africa: Agricultural land use
Mexico
98.55 million hectares
in 2023
South Africa
96.34 million hectares
in 2023
Mexico rank
13th
South Africa rank
14th
Agricultural land use over time
- Mexico
- South Africa
How they compare
Mexico currently reports 98.55 million hectares against 96.34 million hectares in South Africa, a difference of 2.20 million hectares.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 63 shared years of data; in 1961 it was South Africa ahead.
Mexico ranks 13th and South Africa ranks 14th of 227 countries.
Mexico has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Mexico | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 97.98 million hectares | 97.67 million hectares | 315,889 hectares | Mexico |
| 1970s | 97.56 million hectares | 94.56 million hectares | 3.00 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1980s | 100.91 million hectares | 94.35 million hectares | 6.56 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1990s | 106.13 million hectares | 97.17 million hectares | 8.96 million hectares | Mexico |
| 2000s | 105.84 million hectares | 97.51 million hectares | 8.34 million hectares | Mexico |
| 2010s | 98.85 million hectares | 96.40 million hectares | 2.45 million hectares | Mexico |
| 2020s | 99.43 million hectares | 96.34 million hectares | 3.08 million hectares | Mexico |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher agricultural land use, Mexico or South Africa?
- Mexico, at 98.55 million hectares against 96.34 million hectares in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in agricultural land use between Mexico and South Africa?
- 2.20 million hectares, with Mexico ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Mexico and South Africa?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do Mexico and South Africa rank globally for agricultural land use?
- Mexico ranks 13th and South Africa ranks 14th of 227 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Agricultural land use. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Land used for cultivation of crops and animal husbandry. The total of areas under cropland and permanent meadows and pastures.