Agricultural land in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Agricultural land was 3.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Agricultural land in Papua New Guinea, 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 Papua New Guinea stood at 3.1%. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land in Papua New Guinea peaked at 3.1% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 1961.
That places Papua New Guinea 202nd 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 Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.1% | — |
| 1962 | 1.1% | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 1.2% | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 1.2% | +5.6% |
| 1965 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1.2% | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 1.3% | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 1.3% | +3.3% |
| 1969 | 1.3% | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 1.4% | +2.8% |
| 1971 | 1.4% | +3.8% |
| 1972 | 1.5% | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 1.5% | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 1.6% | +4.0% |
| 1975 | 1.6% | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 1.6% | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 1.7% | +3.3% |
| 1979 | 1.8% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 1.8% | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 1.8% | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 1.7% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 1.8% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 1.8% | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 1.9% | +3.4% |
| 1987 | 1.9% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 2.0% | +2.9% |
| 1989 | 2.0% | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 2.0% | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 2.1% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 2.1% | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 2.1% | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 2.2% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 2.3% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 2.3% | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 2.4% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 2.4% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 2.4% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 2.5% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 2.7% | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 2.7% | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 2.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 2.9% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 2.9% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 2.9% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 3.1% | +5.8% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 3.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 44.6%, 7% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 3.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 20.0%, 16% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 199 Equatorial Guinea 3.7% compare
- 200 Guyana 3.4% compare
- 201 Seychelles 3.4% compare
- 203 Norway 2.7% compare
- 204 Brunei Darussalam 2.5% compare
- 205 Bahamas 1.3% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Papua New Guinea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.3264 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1702 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 495.76 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.8422 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 17.0% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 17.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land in Papua New Guinea?
- Agricultural land in Papua New Guinea was 3.1% 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 3.1% in 2017.
- What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 1961.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for agricultural land?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 202nd out of 210 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.