Agricultural land in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Agricultural land was 19.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Agricultural land in Puerto Rico, 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 Puerto Rico is 19.0%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land in Puerto Rico peaked at 69.4% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 19.0%, in 2018.
That places Puerto Rico 157th out of 210 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land in Puerto Rico, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 69.4% | — |
| 1962 | 67.8% | -2.4% |
| 1963 | 68.2% | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 66.0% | -3.3% |
| 1965 | 68.7% | +4.1% |
| 1966 | 65.5% | -4.6% |
| 1967 | 64.0% | -2.2% |
| 1968 | 63.8% | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 63.4% | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 62.2% | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 59.8% | -4.0% |
| 1972 | 58.1% | -2.8% |
| 1973 | 55.5% | -4.5% |
| 1974 | 55.7% | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 55.6% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 55.6% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 55.4% | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 55.8% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 54.8% | -1.8% |
| 1980 | 53.6% | -2.3% |
| 1981 | 52.6% | -1.7% |
| 1982 | 52.6% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 52.5% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 52.3% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 52.0% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 52.2% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 52.1% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 52.1% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 50.7% | -2.6% |
| 1990 | 49.0% | -3.3% |
| 1991 | 47.4% | -3.4% |
| 1992 | 46.2% | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 35.1% | -24.1% |
| 1994 | 34.8% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 34.8% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 34.8% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 32.8% | -5.8% |
| 1998 | 30.7% | -6.4% |
| 1999 | 29.3% | -4.6% |
| 2000 | 27.9% | -4.9% |
| 2001 | 26.5% | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 25.0% | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 24.3% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 23.6% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 22.8% | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 22.1% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 21.3% | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 21.5% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 21.7% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 21.9% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 22.0% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 22.2% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 21.7% | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 21.1% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 20.6% | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 20.1% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 19.6% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 19.0% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
Puerto Rico compared with similar countries
- Puerto Rico's 19.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 24.8%, 77% of the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Puerto Rico's 19.0% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 24.4%, 78% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 66.3% | 63.4% | 69.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 56.8% | 54.8% | 62.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 52.3% | 50.7% | 53.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.5% | 29.3% | 49.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.7% | 21.3% | 27.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.7% | 19.0% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.0% | 19.0% | 19.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Puerto Rico
- 154 Cape Verde 19.6% compare
- 155 Montenegro 19.6% compare
- 156 Peru 19.1% compare
- 158 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17.9% compare
- 159 Samoa 17.6% compare
- 160 Algeria 17.4% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Puerto Rico
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.4415 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0069 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 278.57 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -2.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0566 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.7% (2025)
- Rural population 5.7% (2025)
- Rural population growth -2.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land in Puerto Rico?
- Agricultural land in Puerto Rico was 19.0% 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 Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 69.4% in 1961.
- What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.0% in 2018.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for agricultural land?
- Puerto Rico ranks 157th out of 210 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Puerto Rico 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.