Agricultural land in Eswatini
Eswatini: Agricultural land was 69.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Agricultural land in Eswatini, 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
Eswatini recorded 69.5% for agricultural land in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land in Eswatini peaked at 88.0% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 69.5%, in 2020.
Eswatini ranks 24th of 210 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 85.3% | — |
| 1962 | 85.9% | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 85.7% | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 85.9% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 86.3% | +0.5% |
| 1966 | 86.8% | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 87.0% | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 87.1% | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 86.9% | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 86.9% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 86.9% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 88.0% | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 88.0% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 86.2% | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 76.3% | -11.4% |
| 1976 | 79.7% | +4.4% |
| 1977 | 81.0% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 81.0% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 77.9% | -3.8% |
| 1980 | 75.1% | -3.7% |
| 1981 | 74.7% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 74.8% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 74.9% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 73.8% | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 74.7% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 77.3% | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 76.0% | -1.7% |
| 1988 | 74.7% | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 73.5% | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 72.0% | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 71.3% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 71.1% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 71.0% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 71.0% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 71.0% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 71.0% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 71.1% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 71.1% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 71.1% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 71.1% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 71.2% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 71.2% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 71.2% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 71.2% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 71.2% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 71.1% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 71.1% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 71.1% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 71.2% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 71.0% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 71.0% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 70.9% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 70.9% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 70.7% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 70.5% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 70.2% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 70.0% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 69.8% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 69.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 69.5% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 69.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 69.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 69.5% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 86.3% | 85.3% | 87.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 83.2% | 76.3% | 88.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.9% | 73.5% | 77.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 71.2% | 71.0% | 72.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.1% | 71.1% | 71.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.5% | 69.6% | 71.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.5% | 69.5% | 69.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
- 21 Madagascar 70.3% compare
- 22 Togo 70.2% compare
- 23 Faroe Islands 70.1% compare
- 25 Isle of Man 69.1% compare
- 26 Mongolia 69.0% compare
- 27 Morocco 66.7% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Eswatini
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0641 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 263.26 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4281 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7328 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 6.2% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land in Eswatini?
- Agricultural land in Eswatini was 69.5% 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 Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 88.0% in 1972.
- What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.5% in 2020.
- How does Eswatini rank for agricultural land?
- Eswatini ranks 24th out of 210 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eswatini 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.