Agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Agricultural land was 44.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at 44.7%. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 44.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 37.1%, in 1962.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 10th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 37.1% | — |
| 1962 | 37.1% | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 37.1% | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 37.1% | -0.0% |
| 1965 | 37.1% | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 37.1% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 37.1% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 37.2% | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 37.2% | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 37.3% | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 37.3% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 37.3% | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 37.3% | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 37.4% | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 37.4% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 37.5% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 37.5% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 37.6% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 37.6% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 37.7% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 37.8% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 37.8% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 37.9% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 38.1% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 38.2% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 38.2% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 38.3% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 38.4% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 38.5% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 38.7% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 38.9% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 38.8% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 39.0% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 39.3% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 39.4% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 39.6% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 39.7% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 39.9% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 40.1% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 40.2% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 40.3% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 40.5% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 40.3% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 40.7% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 40.7% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 40.9% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 41.0% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 41.3% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 41.5% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 41.7% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 43.4% | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 43.6% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 43.7% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 43.9% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 44.0% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 44.1% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 44.3% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 44.4% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 44.5% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 44.6% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 44.6% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 44.7% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 37.1% | 37.1% | 37.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 37.4% | 37.2% | 37.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 38.0% | 37.6% | 38.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 39.2% | 38.5% | 39.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.6% | 40.1% | 41.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.4% | 41.5% | 44.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.6% | 44.5% | 44.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.71 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.90 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population 731.36 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 44.7% 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 44.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.1% in 1962.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for agricultural land?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 10th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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.