Agricultural land per capita in Iceland
Iceland: Agricultural land per capita was 4.23 hectares per capita in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
4.23 hectares per capita
Change on year
down 14.1%
World rank
12th
of 226 countries
All-time high
11.84 hectares per capita
in 1961
All-time low
4.23 hectares per capita
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land per capita in Iceland, 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
Iceland recorded 4.23 hectares per capita for agricultural land per capita in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 14.1% on the previous year and down 26.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land per capita in Iceland peaked at 11.84 hectares per capita in 1961 and was at its lowest, 4.23 hectares per capita, in 2023.
Iceland ranks 12th of 226 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land per capita in Iceland, year by year
| Year | hectares per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 11.84 hectares per capita | — |
| 1962 | 11.63 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 1963 | 11.42 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 1964 | 11.21 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 1965 | 11.02 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 10.84 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 1967 | 10.66 hectares per capita | -1.6% |
| 1968 | 10.52 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 1969 | 10.42 hectares per capita | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 9.79 hectares per capita | -6.1% |
| 1971 | 9.66 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 1972 | 9.47 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 9.28 hectares per capita | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 9.1 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 8.94 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 1976 | 8.81 hectares per capita | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 8.7 hectares per capita | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 8.59 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 8.46 hectares per capita | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 8.33 hectares per capita | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 8.23 hectares per capita | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 8.12 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 8.02 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 7.93 hectares per capita | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 7.87 hectares per capita | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 7.81 hectares per capita | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 7.73 hectares per capita | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 7.61 hectares per capita | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 7.51 hectares per capita | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 7.46 hectares per capita | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 7.37 hectares per capita | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 7.28 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 7.2 hectares per capita | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 7.14 hectares per capita | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 7.1 hectares per capita | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 7.05 hectares per capita | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 6.99 hectares per capita | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 6.9 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 6.81 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 6.72 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 6.63 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 6.56 hectares per capita | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 6.51 hectares per capita | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 6.45 hectares per capita | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 6.34 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 6.19 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 6.02 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 5.91 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 5.88 hectares per capita | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 5.89 hectares per capita | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 5.87 hectares per capita | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 5.84 hectares per capita | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 5.78 hectares per capita | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 5.72 hectares per capita | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 5.66 hectares per capita | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 5.58 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 5.45 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 5.31 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 5.19 hectares per capita | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 5.11 hectares per capita | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 5.02 hectares per capita | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 4.92 hectares per capita | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 4.23 hectares per capita | -14.1% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 4.23 hectares per capita is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.2317 hectares per capita, 18.2× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 4.23 hectares per capita is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.4414 hectares per capita, 9.6× the median. (54 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.06 hectares per capita | 10.42 hectares per capita | 11.84 hectares per capita | 9 |
| 1970s | 9.08 hectares per capita | 8.46 hectares per capita | 9.79 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.92 hectares per capita | 7.51 hectares per capita | 8.33 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.13 hectares per capita | 6.81 hectares per capita | 7.46 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.32 hectares per capita | 5.88 hectares per capita | 6.72 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.63 hectares per capita | 5.19 hectares per capita | 5.89 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.82 hectares per capita | 4.23 hectares per capita | 5.11 hectares per capita | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More agriculture & rural data for Iceland
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % 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 0.3084 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 4.77 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 19.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0365 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 3,593 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8983 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land per capita in Iceland?
- Agricultural land per capita in Iceland was 4.23 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 11.84 hectares per capita in 1961.
- What is the lowest agricultural land per capita recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.23 hectares per capita in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for agricultural land per capita?
- Iceland ranks 12th out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land per capita rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.
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About this data
Agricultural land is the sum of cropland and land used as pasture for grazing livestock.