Agricultural land use, per capita in South Africa
South Africa: Agricultural land use, per capita was 1.52 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Agricultural land use, per capita in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for agricultural land use, per capita in South Africa is 1.52 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use, per capita in South Africa peaked at 5.99 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.52 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places South Africa 26th out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use, per capita in South Africa, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.99 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 5.75 hectares per person | -4.1% |
| 1963 | 5.51 hectares per person | -4.1% |
| 1964 | 5.28 hectares per person | -4.2% |
| 1965 | 5.06 hectares per person | -4.2% |
| 1966 | 4.9 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1967 | 4.73 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1968 | 4.58 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1969 | 4.43 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1970 | 4.28 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1971 | 4.15 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1972 | 4.02 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1973 | 3.9 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1974 | 3.78 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1975 | 3.67 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1976 | 3.56 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1977 | 3.47 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1978 | 3.38 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1979 | 3.28 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1980 | 3.19 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1981 | 3.08 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1982 | 2.97 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1983 | 2.87 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 2.77 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1985 | 2.68 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1986 | 2.61 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 2.54 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 2.47 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1989 | 2.4 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 2.35 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1991 | 2.3 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 2.27 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 2.24 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 2.21 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 2.19 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 2.17 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 2.14 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 2.12 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 2.1 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 2.08 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 2.06 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 2.04 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 2.02 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 1.99 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 1.97 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 1.94 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 1.92 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 1.9 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 1.87 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 1.85 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 1.82 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 1.79 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 1.76 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 1.73 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 1.7 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 1.68 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 1.67 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 1.64 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 1.62 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 1.59 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 1.57 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 1.54 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 1.52 hectares per person | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.14 hectares per person | 4.43 hectares per person | 5.99 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.75 hectares per person | 3.28 hectares per person | 4.28 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.76 hectares per person | 2.4 hectares per person | 3.19 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.21 hectares per person | 2.1 hectares per person | 2.35 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.98 hectares per person | 1.87 hectares per person | 2.08 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.73 hectares per person | 1.62 hectares per person | 1.85 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.56 hectares per person | 1.52 hectares per person | 1.59 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use, per capita in South Africa?
- Agricultural land use, per capita in South Africa was 1.52 hectares per person in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest agricultural land use, per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.99 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use, per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.52 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for agricultural land use, per capita?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use, per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Agricultural land use, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Agricultural land use divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Agricultural land use ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Agricultural land use Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Agricultural land use divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.