Agricultural land in Egypt
Egypt: Agricultural land was 4.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Agricultural land in Egypt, 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
In 2023, agricultural land in Egypt stood at 4.1%. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land in Egypt peaked at 4.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1983.
That places Egypt 196th out of 210 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land in Egypt, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.6% | — |
| 1962 | 2.5% | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 2.5% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 2.5% | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 2.7% | +6.6% |
| 1966 | 2.8% | +4.0% |
| 1967 | 2.8% | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 2.8% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 2.8% | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 2.9% | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 2.9% | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 2.9% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2.9% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 2.8% | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 2.7% | -3.4% |
| 1977 | 2.6% | -3.5% |
| 1978 | 2.6% | -3.6% |
| 1979 | 2.5% | -3.7% |
| 1980 | 2.5% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 2.5% | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 2.5% | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 2.4% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 2.5% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 2.5% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 2.6% | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 2.6% | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 2.6% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 2.7% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 2.7% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | +13.4% |
| 1993 | 3.0% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 3.0% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 3.3% | +9.0% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 3.3% | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 3.3% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 3.5% | +6.9% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | -5.5% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 3.4% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 3.4% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 3.5% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 3.5% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 3.6% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 3.6% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 3.7% | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 3.7% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 3.6% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 3.7% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 3.7% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 3.7% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 3.9% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 3.9% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 4.0% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 4.1% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.1% | 2.7% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.5% | 3.3% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.6% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
- 193 Bermuda 5.6% compare
- 194 United Arab Emirates 5.5% compare
- 195 Oman 4.8% compare
- 197 Solomon Islands 3.9% compare
- 198 Hong Kong, China 3.8% compare
- 199 Equatorial Guinea 3.7% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Egypt
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.32 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1655 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 510.76 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.571 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land in Egypt?
- Agricultural land in Egypt was 4.1% 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 Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 4.1% in 2022.
- What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1983.
- How does Egypt rank for agricultural land?
- Egypt ranks 196th out of 210 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Egypt 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.