Canada vs South Africa: Agricultural area over the long-term
Canada
56.19 million hectares
in 2025
South Africa
96.34 million hectares
in 2025
Canada rank
16th
South Africa rank
13th
Agricultural area over the long-term over time
- Canada
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 96.34 million hectares against 56.19 million hectares in Canada, a difference of 40.15 million hectares.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.7 times Canada's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was South Africa ahead.
Canada ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 13th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 39.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0 hectares | 99,811 hectares | 99,811 hectares | South Africa |
| 1100s | 0 hectares | 149,716 hectares | 149,716 hectares | South Africa |
| 1200s | 0 hectares | 218,336 hectares | 218,336 hectares | South Africa |
| 1300s | 0 hectares | 311,908 hectares | 311,908 hectares | South Africa |
| 1400s | 0 hectares | 438,621 hectares | 438,621 hectares | South Africa |
| 1500s | 926.86 hectares | 609,196 hectares | 608,269 hectares | South Africa |
| 1600s | 9,697 hectares | 888,411 hectares | 878,714 hectares | South Africa |
| 1700s | 18,666 hectares | 1.59 million hectares | 1.57 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1710s | 24,777 hectares | 1.95 million hectares | 1.92 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1720s | 32,984 hectares | 2.39 million hectares | 2.35 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1730s | 44,044 hectares | 2.92 million hectares | 2.88 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1740s | 59,002 hectares | 3.58 million hectares | 3.52 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1750s | 88,380 hectares | 4.38 million hectares | 4.30 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1760s | 120,591 hectares | 4.29 million hectares | 4.17 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1770s | 171,205 hectares | 4.20 million hectares | 4.03 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1780s | 236,622 hectares | 4.11 million hectares | 3.87 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1790s | 328,703 hectares | 4.02 million hectares | 3.69 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1800s | 476,880 hectares | 3.93 million hectares | 3.45 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1810s | 678,917 hectares | 3.84 million hectares | 3.16 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1820s | 957,979 hectares | 3.74 million hectares | 2.79 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1830s | 1.36 million hectares | 3.65 million hectares | 2.29 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1840s | 1.95 million hectares | 3.56 million hectares | 1.62 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1850s | 2.80 million hectares | 4.19 million hectares | 1.39 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1860s | 4.55 million hectares | 5.17 million hectares | 612,940 hectares | South Africa |
| 1870s | 7.48 million hectares | 6.85 million hectares | 628,390 hectares | Canada |
| 1880s | 9.23 million hectares | 13.57 million hectares | 4.34 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1890s | 11.65 million hectares | 16.65 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1900s | 12.44 million hectares | 23.23 million hectares | 10.79 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1910s | 20.33 million hectares | 31.16 million hectares | 10.83 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1920s | 29.84 million hectares | 38.56 million hectares | 8.72 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1930s | 35.84 million hectares | 47.99 million hectares | 12.16 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1940s | 42.17 million hectares | 58.22 million hectares | 16.05 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1950s | 52.22 million hectares | 86.26 million hectares | 34.04 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1960s | 62.86 million hectares | 97.73 million hectares | 34.87 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1970s | 62.89 million hectares | 94.56 million hectares | 31.67 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1980s | 61.17 million hectares | 94.35 million hectares | 33.18 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1990s | 61.33 million hectares | 97.17 million hectares | 35.84 million hectares | South Africa |
| 2000s | 60.90 million hectares | 97.51 million hectares | 36.61 million hectares | South Africa |
| 2010s | 57.90 million hectares | 96.40 million hectares | 38.50 million hectares | South Africa |
| 2020s | 56.74 million hectares | 96.34 million hectares | 39.60 million hectares | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher agricultural area over the long-term, Canada or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 96.34 million hectares against 56.19 million hectares in Canada as of 2025.
- What is the difference in agricultural area over the long-term between Canada and South Africa?
- 40.15 million hectares, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and South Africa?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Canada and South Africa rank globally for agricultural area over the long-term?
- Canada ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 13th of 202 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2025) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Agricultural area over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total agricultural area for each separate country over time.