Agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Agricultural land was 44.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa, 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
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 44.7% for agricultural land in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure 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 peaked at 44.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 37.1%, in 1962.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 11th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it 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, 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
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- The highest recorded value was 44.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.1% in 1962.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for agricultural land?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 11th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 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 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.