Agricultural land per capita in Nigeria
Nigeria: Agricultural land per capita was 0.3045 hectares per capita in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.3045 hectares per capita
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
124th
of 226 countries
All-time high
1.18 hectares per capita
in 1961
All-time low
0.3045 hectares per capita
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land per capita in Nigeria, 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
Nigeria recorded 0.3045 hectares per capita for agricultural land per capita in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land per capita in Nigeria peaked at 1.18 hectares per capita in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.3045 hectares per capita, in 2023.
That places Nigeria 124th out of 226 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land per capita in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | hectares per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.18 hectares per capita | — |
| 1962 | 1.16 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 1963 | 1.14 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 1964 | 1.11 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 1.09 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 1.07 hectares per capita | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 1.04 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 1968 | 1.02 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 1.01 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 0.9867 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 1971 | 0.9665 hectares per capita | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 0.9462 hectares per capita | -2.1% |
| 1973 | 0.9253 hectares per capita | -2.2% |
| 1974 | 0.9037 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1975 | 0.8814 hectares per capita | -2.5% |
| 1976 | 0.8587 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 1977 | 0.8317 hectares per capita | -3.1% |
| 1978 | 0.8081 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 1979 | 0.7879 hectares per capita | -2.5% |
| 1980 | 0.7665 hectares per capita | -2.7% |
| 1981 | 0.7447 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 0.7242 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 0.707 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 1984 | 0.6928 hectares per capita | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 0.6771 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 0.6613 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 0.6448 hectares per capita | -2.5% |
| 1988 | 0.6299 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 0.6146 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 0.6045 hectares per capita | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 0.596 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 0.5919 hectares per capita | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 0.5799 hectares per capita | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 0.5737 hectares per capita | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 0.5782 hectares per capita | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 0.5647 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 0.5516 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 0.5441 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 0.5312 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 0.5183 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 0.5049 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 0.4923 hectares per capita | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 0.4799 hectares per capita | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 0.4676 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 0.4565 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 0.4429 hectares per capita | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 0.4329 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 0.4215 hectares per capita | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 0.412 hectares per capita | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 0.4014 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 0.3906 hectares per capita | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 0.3812 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 0.37 hectares per capita | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 0.3611 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 0.3531 hectares per capita | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 0.3456 hectares per capita | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 0.3381 hectares per capita | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 0.3321 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 0.3257 hectares per capita | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 0.321 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 0.3154 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 0.31 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 0.3045 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 0.3045 hectares per capita is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.4645 hectares per capita, 66% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 0.3045 hectares per capita is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.6139 hectares per capita, 50% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.09 hectares per capita | 1.01 hectares per capita | 1.18 hectares per capita | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.8896 hectares per capita | 0.7879 hectares per capita | 0.9867 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6863 hectares per capita | 0.6146 hectares per capita | 0.7665 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5716 hectares per capita | 0.5312 hectares per capita | 0.6045 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4629 hectares per capita | 0.412 hectares per capita | 0.5183 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3599 hectares per capita | 0.3257 hectares per capita | 0.4014 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3127 hectares per capita | 0.3045 hectares per capita | 0.321 hectares per capita | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.9222 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1938 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.5433 % 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 0.2993 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land per capita in Nigeria?
- Agricultural land per capita in Nigeria was 0.3045 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 1.18 hectares per capita in 1961.
- What is the lowest agricultural land per capita recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3045 hectares per capita in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for agricultural land per capita?
- Nigeria ranks 124th out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land per capita rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.