Agricultural land in Australia
Australia: Agricultural land was 47.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Agricultural land in Australia, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Australia recorded 47.2% for agricultural land in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land in Australia peaked at 66.9% in 1968 and was at its lowest, 44.5%, in 2016.
Australia ranks 69th of 210 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 61.8% | — |
| 1962 | 62.0% | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 62.4% | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 62.7% | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 63.3% | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 63.4% | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 63.7% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 66.9% | +4.9% |
| 1969 | 66.5% | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 64.2% | -3.4% |
| 1971 | 65.0% | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 65.1% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 64.8% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 65.1% | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 65.0% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 65.2% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 64.0% | -1.8% |
| 1978 | 64.6% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 64.2% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 64.5% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 64.5% | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 63.9% | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 63.0% | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 63.3% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 63.4% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 61.0% | -3.7% |
| 1987 | 61.3% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 61.4% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 60.8% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 60.5% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 60.2% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 60.7% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 59.9% | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 61.1% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 60.3% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 60.6% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 60.2% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 60.4% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 59.1% | -2.2% |
| 2000 | 59.3% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 59.3% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 58.2% | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 57.2% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 51.4% | -10.1% |
| 2005 | 53.4% | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 53.3% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 51.9% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 50.7% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 50.0% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 49.0% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 51.6% | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 50.4% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 48.4% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 48.7% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 45.3% | -7.0% |
| 2016 | 44.5% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 48.3% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | 46.7% | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 47.1% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 46.3% | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 47.3% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 47.3% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 47.2% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 63.6% | 61.8% | 66.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 64.7% | 64.0% | 65.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 62.7% | 60.8% | 64.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.3% | 59.1% | 61.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.5% | 50.0% | 59.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.0% | 44.5% | 51.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.0% | 46.3% | 47.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land in Australia?
- Agricultural land in Australia was 47.2% in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest agricultural land recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 66.9% in 1968.
- What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.5% in 2016.
- How does Australia rank for agricultural land?
- Australia ranks 69th out of 210 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Agricultural land (% of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 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.