Mexico vs South Africa: Agricultural area over the long-term
Mexico
96.60 million hectares
in 2025
South Africa
96.34 million hectares
in 2025
Mexico rank
12th
South Africa rank
13th
Agricultural area over the long-term over time
- Mexico
- South Africa
How they compare
Mexico currently reports 96.60 million hectares against 96.34 million hectares in South Africa, a difference of 257,800 hectares.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Mexico ahead.
Mexico ranks 12th and South Africa ranks 13th of 202 countries.
Mexico has averaged higher in every one of the 40 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Mexico | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 5.86 million hectares | 99,811 hectares | 5.76 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1100s | 6.77 million hectares | 149,716 hectares | 6.62 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1200s | 7.72 million hectares | 218,336 hectares | 7.50 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1300s | 8.71 million hectares | 311,908 hectares | 8.40 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1400s | 9.73 million hectares | 438,621 hectares | 9.29 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1500s | 10.79 million hectares | 609,196 hectares | 10.19 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1600s | 7.85 million hectares | 888,411 hectares | 6.97 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1700s | 16.72 million hectares | 1.59 million hectares | 15.14 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1710s | 17.86 million hectares | 1.95 million hectares | 15.91 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1720s | 18.96 million hectares | 2.39 million hectares | 16.57 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1730s | 20.02 million hectares | 2.92 million hectares | 17.10 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1740s | 21.06 million hectares | 3.58 million hectares | 17.48 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1750s | 22.07 million hectares | 4.38 million hectares | 17.68 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1760s | 23.05 million hectares | 4.29 million hectares | 18.75 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1770s | 24.00 million hectares | 4.20 million hectares | 19.80 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1780s | 24.92 million hectares | 4.11 million hectares | 20.81 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1790s | 25.83 million hectares | 4.02 million hectares | 21.81 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1800s | 26.71 million hectares | 3.93 million hectares | 22.78 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1810s | 27.56 million hectares | 3.84 million hectares | 23.73 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1820s | 28.40 million hectares | 3.74 million hectares | 24.66 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1830s | 29.22 million hectares | 3.65 million hectares | 25.57 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1840s | 30.02 million hectares | 3.56 million hectares | 26.46 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1850s | 30.81 million hectares | 4.19 million hectares | 26.62 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1860s | 31.58 million hectares | 5.17 million hectares | 26.41 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1870s | 32.34 million hectares | 6.85 million hectares | 25.48 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1880s | 33.08 million hectares | 13.57 million hectares | 19.51 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1890s | 39.92 million hectares | 16.65 million hectares | 23.27 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1900s | 45.28 million hectares | 23.23 million hectares | 22.05 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1910s | 51.15 million hectares | 31.16 million hectares | 19.99 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1920s | 46.47 million hectares | 38.56 million hectares | 7.92 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1930s | 54.04 million hectares | 47.99 million hectares | 6.04 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1940s | 62.67 million hectares | 58.22 million hectares | 4.45 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1950s | 90.87 million hectares | 86.26 million hectares | 4.61 million hectares | Mexico |
| 1960s | 97.99 million hectares | 97.73 million hectares | 258,910 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 | 96.68 million hectares | 96.34 million hectares | 337,850 hectares | Mexico |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher agricultural area over the long-term, Mexico or South Africa?
- Mexico, at 96.60 million hectares against 96.34 million hectares in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in agricultural area over the long-term between Mexico and South Africa?
- 257,800 hectares, with Mexico ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Mexico and South Africa?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Mexico and South Africa rank globally for agricultural area over the long-term?
- Mexico ranks 12th 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.