Agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Agricultural land was 1.06 billion hectares in 2011. ▲ Rising
Agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2011, agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 1.06 billion hectares. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 1.06 billion hectares in 2011 and was at its lowest, 959.61 million hectares, in 1961.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 959.61 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 959.81 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 960.65 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 960.70 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 960.86 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 963.43 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 963.99 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 965.45 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 966.57 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 966.84 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 969.56 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 970.33 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 970.40 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 970.13 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 971.33 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 972.39 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 973.05 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 974.66 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 974.84 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 975.72 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 975.68 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 976.58 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 978.09 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 978.69 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 983.66 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 988.63 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 991.03 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 996.11 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 999.65 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 1.00 billion hectares | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 1.00 billion hectares | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 1.01 billion hectares | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 994.21 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 999.01 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 1.00 billion hectares | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 1.00 billion hectares | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 1.01 billion hectares | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 1.01 billion hectares | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 1.02 billion hectares | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 1.02 billion hectares | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 1.02 billion hectares | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 1.03 billion hectares | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 1.03 billion hectares | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 1.04 billion hectares | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 1.05 billion hectares | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 1.05 billion hectares | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 1.05 billion hectares | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 1.06 billion hectares | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 1.06 billion hectares | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 1.06 billion hectares | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 1.06 billion hectares | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 962.34 million hectares | 959.61 million hectares | 966.57 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 971.35 million hectares | 966.84 million hectares | 974.84 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 984.38 million hectares | 975.68 million hectares | 999.65 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.00 billion hectares | 994.21 million hectares | 1.02 billion hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.04 billion hectares | 1.02 billion hectares | 1.06 billion hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.06 billion hectares | 1.06 billion hectares | 1.06 billion hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa was 1.06 billion hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest agricultural land recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.06 billion hectares in 2011.
- What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 959.61 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for agricultural land?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
- Is agricultural land rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Agricultural land (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.