Agricultural land per capita in Zambia
Zambia: Agricultural land per capita was 1.15 hectares per capita in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.15 hectares per capita
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
41st
of 226 countries
All-time high
5.93 hectares per capita
in 1961
All-time low
1.15 hectares per capita
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land per capita in Zambia, 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
The most recent figure for agricultural land per capita in Zambia is 1.15 hectares per capita, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.8% on the previous year and down 25.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land per capita in Zambia peaked at 5.93 hectares per capita in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.15 hectares per capita, in 2023.
That places Zambia 41st out of 226 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land per capita in Zambia, year by year
| Year | hectares per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.93 hectares per capita | — |
| 1962 | 5.77 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 1963 | 5.6 hectares per capita | -2.9% |
| 1964 | 5.44 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 1965 | 5.29 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 1966 | 5.14 hectares per capita | -2.7% |
| 1967 | 4.99 hectares per capita | -2.9% |
| 1968 | 4.85 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 1969 | 4.72 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 1970 | 4.6 hectares per capita | -2.5% |
| 1971 | 4.51 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 1972 | 4.4 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 1973 | 4.28 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 1974 | 4.17 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 1975 | 4.06 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 3.94 hectares per capita | -2.9% |
| 1977 | 3.82 hectares per capita | -2.9% |
| 1978 | 3.69 hectares per capita | -3.6% |
| 1979 | 3.51 hectares per capita | -4.8% |
| 1980 | 3.42 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 1981 | 3.33 hectares per capita | -2.5% |
| 1982 | 3.24 hectares per capita | -2.7% |
| 1983 | 3.16 hectares per capita | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 3.07 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 1985 | 3 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 2.92 hectares per capita | -2.5% |
| 1987 | 2.85 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 1988 | 2.79 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 2.74 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 2.67 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 2.61 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 2.58 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 2.53 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 2.5 hectares per capita | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 2.46 hectares per capita | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 2.42 hectares per capita | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 2.38 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 2.34 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 2.3 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 2.25 hectares per capita | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 2.18 hectares per capita | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 2.12 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 2.09 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 2.02 hectares per capita | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 1.94 hectares per capita | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 1.9 hectares per capita | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 1.83 hectares per capita | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 1.77 hectares per capita | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 1.75 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 1.68 hectares per capita | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 1.64 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 1.6 hectares per capita | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 1.54 hectares per capita | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 1.49 hectares per capita | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 1.45 hectares per capita | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 1.4 hectares per capita | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 1.37 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 1.33 hectares per capita | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 1.29 hectares per capita | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 1.25 hectares per capita | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 1.22 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 1.18 hectares per capita | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 1.15 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 1.15 hectares per capita is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.4645 hectares per capita, 2.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 1.15 hectares per capita is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.6139 hectares per capita, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.3 hectares per capita | 4.72 hectares per capita | 5.93 hectares per capita | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.1 hectares per capita | 3.51 hectares per capita | 4.6 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.05 hectares per capita | 2.74 hectares per capita | 3.42 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.48 hectares per capita | 2.3 hectares per capita | 2.67 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.99 hectares per capita | 1.75 hectares per capita | 2.25 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.48 hectares per capita | 1.29 hectares per capita | 1.68 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2 hectares per capita | 1.15 hectares per capita | 1.25 hectares per capita | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 38 Guinea 1.25 hectares per capita compare
- 39 Mozambique 1.23 hectares per capita compare
- 40 United States 1.23 hectares per capita compare
- 42 Brazil 1.12 hectares per capita compare
- 43 Central African Republic 1.1 hectares per capita compare
- 44 Ukraine 1.09 hectares per capita compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- 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 0.0001 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1752 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 0.0008 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 1.09 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land per capita in Zambia?
- Agricultural land per capita in Zambia was 1.15 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.93 hectares per capita in 1961.
- What is the lowest agricultural land per capita recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.15 hectares per capita in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for agricultural land per capita?
- Zambia ranks 41st out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land per capita rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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.