Agricultural land in Nigeria
Nigeria: Agricultural land was 76.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Agricultural land in Nigeria, 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
The most recent figure for agricultural land in Nigeria is 76.2%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land in Nigeria peaked at 76.2% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 59.5%, in 1961.
Nigeria ranks 10th of 210 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 59.5% | — |
| 1962 | 59.6% | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 59.8% | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 60.0% | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 60.1% | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 60.2% | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 59.9% | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 60.1% | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 60.3% | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 60.6% | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 60.7% | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 60.9% | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 61.0% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 61.2% | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 61.4% | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 61.5% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 61.4% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 61.5% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 61.9% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 62.1% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 62.2% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 62.3% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 62.4% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 62.8% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 63.1% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 63.3% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 63.4% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 63.6% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 63.8% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 64.5% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 65.3% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 66.5% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 66.9% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 68.0% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 70.4% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 70.5% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 70.7% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 71.6% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 71.8% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 71.9% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 72.0% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 72.1% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 72.3% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 72.4% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 72.7% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 72.5% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 72.9% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 72.9% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 73.3% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 73.4% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 73.5% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 73.8% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 73.5% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 73.7% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 73.9% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 74.2% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 74.3% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 74.7% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 74.9% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 75.4% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 75.7% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 76.0% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 76.2% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 59.9% | 59.5% | 60.3% | 9 |
| 1970s | 61.2% | 60.6% | 61.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 62.9% | 62.1% | 63.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 68.6% | 64.5% | 71.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.5% | 71.9% | 73.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.0% | 73.4% | 74.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 75.8% | 75.4% | 76.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 7 Kazakhstan 79.4% compare
- 8 Lesotho 77.8% compare
- 9 Rwanda 76.3% compare
- 11 Republic of Moldova 74.1% compare
- 12 Syrian Arab Republic 74.1% compare
- 13 Djibouti 73.5% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land in Nigeria?
- Agricultural land in Nigeria was 76.2% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 76.2% in 2023.
- What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.5% in 1961.
- How does Nigeria rank for agricultural land?
- Nigeria ranks 10th out of 210 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.