Agricultural land use, per square kilometre in South Africa
South Africa: Agricultural land use, per square kilometre was 79.42 hectares per square kilometre in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
79.42 hectares per square kilometre
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
6th
of 209 countries
All-time high
83.53 hectares per square kilometre
in 1961
All-time low
77.52 hectares per square kilometre
in 1982
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for agricultural land use, per square kilometre in South Africa is 79.42 hectares per square kilometre, measured in 2023.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 83.53 hectares per square kilometre in 1961 and was at its lowest, 77.52 hectares per square kilometre, in 1982.
That places South Africa 6th out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Agricultural land use, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year
| Year | hectares per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 83.53 hectares per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 82.55 hectares per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 81.61 hectares per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1964 | 80.58 hectares per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1965 | 79.64 hectares per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1966 | 79.49 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 79.26 hectares per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 79.08 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 78.89 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 78.7 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 78.51 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 78.32 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 78.12 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 77.95 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 77.74 hectares per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 77.54 hectares per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 77.54 hectares per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1978 | 77.54 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 77.53 hectares per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 77.53 hectares per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 77.52 hectares per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 77.52 hectares per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 77.52 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 77.52 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 77.52 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 77.82 hectares per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 78.02 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 78.23 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 78.56 hectares per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 78.81 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 79.14 hectares per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 79.53 hectares per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 79.91 hectares per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 80.18 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 80.39 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 80.69 hectares per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 80.74 hectares per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 80.78 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 80.83 hectares per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 80.89 hectares per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 80.8 hectares per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 80.81 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 80.73 hectares per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 80.46 hectares per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 80.36 hectares per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 79.87 hectares per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 79.87 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 80.05 hectares per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 79.95 hectares per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 79.87 hectares per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 79.45 hectares per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 80.51 hectares per square kilometre | 78.89 hectares per square kilometre | 83.53 hectares per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 77.95 hectares per square kilometre | 77.53 hectares per square kilometre | 78.7 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 77.78 hectares per square kilometre | 77.52 hectares per square kilometre | 78.56 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 80.1 hectares per square kilometre | 78.81 hectares per square kilometre | 80.83 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.38 hectares per square kilometre | 79.87 hectares per square kilometre | 80.89 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.47 hectares per square kilometre | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | 79.87 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | 79.42 hectares per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 3 Burundi 83.89 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 4 Uruguay 81.35 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 5 Saudi Arabia 80.77 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 7 Kazakhstan 79.37 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 8 Lesotho 77.76 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 9 Rwanda 76.33 hectares per square kilometre compare
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 square kilometre in South Africa?
- Agricultural land use, per square kilometre in South Africa was 79.42 hectares per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest agricultural land use, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 83.53 hectares per square kilometre in 1961.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.52 hectares per square kilometre in 1982.
- How does South Africa rank for agricultural land use, per square kilometre?
- South Africa ranks 6th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Agricultural land use, per square kilometre. 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 Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Agricultural land use ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Agricultural land use Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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 Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.