Agricultural land per capita in Botswana
Botswana: Agricultural land per capita was 10.43 hectares per capita in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
10.43 hectares per capita
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
6th
of 226 countries
All-time high
49.25 hectares per capita
in 1961
All-time low
10.43 hectares per capita
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land per capita in Botswana, 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 Botswana stood at 10.43 hectares per capita. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land per capita in Botswana peaked at 49.25 hectares per capita in 1961 and was at its lowest, 10.43 hectares per capita, in 2023.
Botswana ranks 6th of 226 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Agricultural land per capita in Botswana, year by year
| Year | hectares per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 49.25 hectares per capita | — |
| 1962 | 48.13 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1963 | 47.02 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1964 | 45.91 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1965 | 45.25 hectares per capita | -1.5% |
| 1966 | 44.99 hectares per capita | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 44.76 hectares per capita | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 44.52 hectares per capita | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 44.29 hectares per capita | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 44.04 hectares per capita | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 43.3 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 1972 | 41.78 hectares per capita | -3.5% |
| 1973 | 39.85 hectares per capita | -4.6% |
| 1974 | 37.93 hectares per capita | -4.8% |
| 1975 | 36.09 hectares per capita | -4.8% |
| 1976 | 34.28 hectares per capita | -5.0% |
| 1977 | 32.52 hectares per capita | -5.1% |
| 1978 | 30.62 hectares per capita | -5.8% |
| 1979 | 28.84 hectares per capita | -5.8% |
| 1980 | 27.74 hectares per capita | -3.8% |
| 1981 | 26.81 hectares per capita | -3.4% |
| 1982 | 25.77 hectares per capita | -3.9% |
| 1983 | 24.86 hectares per capita | -3.5% |
| 1984 | 24 hectares per capita | -3.5% |
| 1985 | 23.18 hectares per capita | -3.4% |
| 1986 | 22.41 hectares per capita | -3.3% |
| 1987 | 21.69 hectares per capita | -3.2% |
| 1988 | 21.05 hectares per capita | -2.9% |
| 1989 | 20.48 hectares per capita | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 19.93 hectares per capita | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 19.3 hectares per capita | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 18.73 hectares per capita | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 18.27 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 17.81 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 17.31 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 16.89 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 16.48 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 16.07 hectares per capita | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 15.74 hectares per capita | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 15.47 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 15.07 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 14.81 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 14.53 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 14.29 hectares per capita | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 14.03 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 13.77 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 13.49 hectares per capita | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 13.27 hectares per capita | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 13.02 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 12.72 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 12.5 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 12.28 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 12.09 hectares per capita | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 11.97 hectares per capita | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 11.74 hectares per capita | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 11.57 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 11.41 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 11.25 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 11.09 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 10.93 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 10.77 hectares per capita | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 10.6 hectares per capita | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 10.43 hectares per capita | -1.6% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 10.43 hectares per capita is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3687 hectares per capita, 28.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 10.43 hectares per capita is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.6139 hectares per capita, 17.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 46.01 hectares per capita | 44.29 hectares per capita | 49.25 hectares per capita | 9 |
| 1970s | 36.93 hectares per capita | 28.84 hectares per capita | 44.04 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.8 hectares per capita | 20.48 hectares per capita | 27.74 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.65 hectares per capita | 15.74 hectares per capita | 19.93 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.18 hectares per capita | 13.02 hectares per capita | 15.47 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.86 hectares per capita | 11.09 hectares per capita | 12.72 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.68 hectares per capita | 10.43 hectares per capita | 10.93 hectares per capita | 4 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 3 Australia 13.73 hectares per capita compare
- 4 Namibia 13.1 hectares per capita compare
- 5 Kazakhstan 10.54 hectares per capita compare
- 7 Western Sahara 8.63 hectares per capita compare
- 8 Mauritania 7.91 hectares per capita compare
- 9 Turkmenistan 5.37 hectares per capita compare
More agriculture & rural data for Botswana
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.0305 % 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 0.1024 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.0004 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0013 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 10.09 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0178 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 138.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0839 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land per capita in Botswana?
- Agricultural land per capita in Botswana was 10.43 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 Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 49.25 hectares per capita in 1961.
- What is the lowest agricultural land per capita recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.43 hectares per capita in 2023.
- How does Botswana rank for agricultural land per capita?
- Botswana ranks 6th out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land per capita rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Botswana 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
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Agricultural land is the sum of cropland and land used as pasture for grazing livestock.