Agricultural land per capita in Australia
Australia: Agricultural land per capita was 13.73 hectares per capita in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
13.73 hectares per capita
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
3rd
of 226 countries
All-time high
45.19 hectares per capita
in 1961
All-time low
13.73 hectares per capita
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land per capita in Australia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares per capita.
Analysis
In 2023, agricultural land per capita in Australia stood at 13.73 hectares per capita. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land per capita in Australia peaked at 45.19 hectares per capita in 1961 and was at its lowest, 13.73 hectares per capita, in 2023.
That places Australia 3rd out of 226 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land per capita in Australia, year by year
| Year | hectares per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 45.19 hectares per capita | — |
| 1962 | 44.51 hectares per capita | -1.5% |
| 1963 | 43.93 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 1964 | 43.3 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 42.81 hectares per capita | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 42.01 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 1967 | 41.45 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 42.69 hectares per capita | +3.0% |
| 1969 | 41.63 hectares per capita | -2.5% |
| 1970 | 39.16 hectares per capita | -5.9% |
| 1971 | 38.43 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 1972 | 37.57 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1973 | 36.83 hectares per capita | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 36.47 hectares per capita | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 35.95 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 35.65 hectares per capita | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 34.6 hectares per capita | -2.9% |
| 1978 | 34.53 hectares per capita | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 33.94 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 33.67 hectares per capita | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 33.15 hectares per capita | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 32.3 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 31.38 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 1984 | 31.15 hectares per capita | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 30.74 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 29.16 hectares per capita | -5.1% |
| 1987 | 28.86 hectares per capita | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 28.45 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 27.69 hectares per capita | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 27.12 hectares per capita | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 26.67 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 1992 | 26.55 hectares per capita | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 25.96 hectares per capita | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 26.21 hectares per capita | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 25.61 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 25.41 hectares per capita | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 24.98 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 24.8 hectares per capita | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 23.99 hectares per capita | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 23.81 hectares per capita | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 23.53 hectares per capita | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 22.81 hectares per capita | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 22.18 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 19.7 hectares per capita | -11.2% |
| 2005 | 20.21 hectares per capita | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 19.88 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 19.01 hectares per capita | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 18.22 hectares per capita | -4.2% |
| 2009 | 17.64 hectares per capita | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 17 hectares per capita | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 17.62 hectares per capita | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 16.94 hectares per capita | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 16 hectares per capita | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 15.87 hectares per capita | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 14.54 hectares per capita | -8.4% |
| 2016 | 14.08 hectares per capita | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 15.04 hectares per capita | +6.8% |
| 2018 | 14.29 hectares per capita | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 14.22 hectares per capita | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 13.82 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 14.01 hectares per capita | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 13.87 hectares per capita | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 13.73 hectares per capita | -1.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 13.73 hectares per capita is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.2317 hectares per capita, 59.3× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Australia's 13.73 hectares per capita is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.1895 hectares per capita, 72.5× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 43.06 hectares per capita | 41.45 hectares per capita | 45.19 hectares per capita | 9 |
| 1970s | 36.31 hectares per capita | 33.94 hectares per capita | 39.16 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 1980s | 30.65 hectares per capita | 27.69 hectares per capita | 33.67 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.73 hectares per capita | 23.99 hectares per capita | 27.12 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.7 hectares per capita | 17.64 hectares per capita | 23.81 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.56 hectares per capita | 14.08 hectares per capita | 17.62 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.86 hectares per capita | 13.73 hectares per capita | 14.01 hectares per capita | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 1 Falkland Islands 324.24 hectares per capita compare
- 2 Mongolia 31.31 hectares per capita compare
- 4 Namibia 13.1 hectares per capita compare
- 5 Kazakhstan 10.54 hectares per capita compare
- 6 Botswana 10.43 hectares per capita compare
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.4449 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 1.16 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.2372 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 12.7 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land per capita in Australia?
- Agricultural land per capita in Australia was 13.73 hectares per capita in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural land per capita recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 45.19 hectares per capita in 1961.
- What is the lowest agricultural land per capita recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.73 hectares per capita in 2023.
- How does Australia rank for agricultural land per capita?
- Australia ranks 3rd out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land per capita rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural land per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Agricultural land is the sum of cropland and land used as pasture for grazing livestock.