Indonesia vs South Africa: Agricultural area over the long-term
Indonesia
61.55 million hectares
in 2025
South Africa
96.34 million hectares
in 2025
Indonesia rank
15th
South Africa rank
13th
Agricultural area over the long-term over time
- Indonesia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 96.34 million hectares against 61.55 million hectares in Indonesia, a difference of 34.79 million hectares.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.6 times Indonesia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Indonesia ahead.
Indonesia ranks 15th and South Africa ranks 13th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Indonesia averaged higher in 27 and South Africa in 13.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Indonesia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 1.62 million hectares | 99,811 hectares | 1.52 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1100s | 1.94 million hectares | 149,716 hectares | 1.79 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1200s | 2.29 million hectares | 218,336 hectares | 2.07 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1300s | 2.70 million hectares | 311,908 hectares | 2.39 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1400s | 3.73 million hectares | 438,621 hectares | 3.29 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1500s | 4.71 million hectares | 609,196 hectares | 4.10 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1600s | 5.30 million hectares | 888,411 hectares | 4.42 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1700s | 6.04 million hectares | 1.59 million hectares | 4.46 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1710s | 6.21 million hectares | 1.95 million hectares | 4.26 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1720s | 6.37 million hectares | 2.39 million hectares | 3.99 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1730s | 6.54 million hectares | 2.92 million hectares | 3.62 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1740s | 6.71 million hectares | 3.58 million hectares | 3.13 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1750s | 6.89 million hectares | 4.38 million hectares | 2.51 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1760s | 7.35 million hectares | 4.29 million hectares | 3.06 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1770s | 7.83 million hectares | 4.20 million hectares | 3.63 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1780s | 8.32 million hectares | 4.11 million hectares | 4.21 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1790s | 8.82 million hectares | 4.02 million hectares | 4.81 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1800s | 9.34 million hectares | 3.93 million hectares | 5.41 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1810s | 9.48 million hectares | 3.84 million hectares | 5.64 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1820s | 9.60 million hectares | 3.74 million hectares | 5.85 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1830s | 9.70 million hectares | 3.65 million hectares | 6.04 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1840s | 9.78 million hectares | 3.56 million hectares | 6.22 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1850s | 9.84 million hectares | 4.19 million hectares | 5.65 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1860s | 12.07 million hectares | 5.17 million hectares | 6.90 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1870s | 14.12 million hectares | 6.85 million hectares | 7.27 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1880s | 16.03 million hectares | 13.57 million hectares | 2.46 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1890s | 17.78 million hectares | 16.65 million hectares | 1.13 million hectares | Indonesia |
| 1900s | 20.04 million hectares | 23.23 million hectares | 3.19 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1910s | 22.30 million hectares | 31.16 million hectares | 8.86 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1920s | 24.56 million hectares | 38.56 million hectares | 14.00 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1930s | 26.83 million hectares | 47.99 million hectares | 21.16 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1940s | 29.07 million hectares | 58.22 million hectares | 29.15 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1950s | 32.30 million hectares | 86.26 million hectares | 53.96 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1960s | 34.35 million hectares | 97.73 million hectares | 63.38 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1970s | 37.36 million hectares | 94.56 million hectares | 57.19 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1980s | 43.18 million hectares | 94.35 million hectares | 51.17 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1990s | 46.85 million hectares | 97.17 million hectares | 50.32 million hectares | South Africa |
| 2000s | 49.49 million hectares | 97.51 million hectares | 48.02 million hectares | South Africa |
| 2010s | 56.41 million hectares | 96.40 million hectares | 39.99 million hectares | South Africa |
| 2020s | 60.41 million hectares | 96.34 million hectares | 35.93 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, Indonesia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 96.34 million hectares against 61.55 million hectares in Indonesia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in agricultural area over the long-term between Indonesia and South Africa?
- 34.79 million hectares, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Indonesia and South Africa?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Indonesia and South Africa rank globally for agricultural area over the long-term?
- Indonesia ranks 15th and South Africa ranks 13th of 202 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2025) – 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.