Agricultural land use in Australia
Australia: Agricultural land use was 363.24 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
363.24 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
4th
of 227 countries
All-time high
513.57 million hectares
in 1968
All-time low
342.60 million hectares
in 2016
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use in Australia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Australia recorded 363.24 million hectares for agricultural land use in 2023.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Australia peaked at 513.57 million hectares in 1968 and was at its lowest, 342.60 million hectares, in 2016.
That places Australia 4th out of 227 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use in Australia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 474.48 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 476.59 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 479.37 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 481.90 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 486.26 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 487.03 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 489.58 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 513.57 million hectares | +4.9% |
| 1969 | 510.89 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 493.43 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 1971 | 499.54 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 499.81 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 497.90 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 500.36 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 499.55 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 500.74 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 491.51 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 1978 | 496.10 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 493.24 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 495.64 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 495.56 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 490.77 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 483.79 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 486.56 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 486.79 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 468.54 million hectares | -3.7% |
| 1987 | 471.02 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 472.05 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 467.10 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 464.44 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 462.78 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 466.00 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 460.10 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 469.14 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 463.39 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 465.23 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 462.23 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 463.88 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 453.69 million hectares | -2.2% |
| 2000 | 455.47 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 455.70 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 447.00 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 439.50 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 394.91 million hectares | -10.1% |
| 2005 | 410.23 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 409.30 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 398.36 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 389.29 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 384.26 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 376.37 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 396.12 million hectares | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 387.08 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 371.77 million hectares | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 374.42 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 348.12 million hectares | -7.0% |
| 2016 | 342.60 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 371.84 million hectares | +8.5% |
| 2018 | 358.89 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 362.48 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 355.77 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 363.52 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 363.52 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 363.24 million hectares | -0.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 363.24 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 982,000 hectares, 369.9× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Australia's 363.24 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 249,300 hectares, 1457.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 488.85 million hectares | 474.48 million hectares | 513.57 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 497.22 million hectares | 491.51 million hectares | 500.74 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 481.78 million hectares | 467.10 million hectares | 495.64 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 463.09 million hectares | 453.69 million hectares | 469.14 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 418.40 million hectares | 384.26 million hectares | 455.70 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 368.97 million hectares | 342.60 million hectares | 396.12 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 361.51 million hectares | 355.77 million hectares | 363.52 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in Australia?
- Agricultural land use in Australia was 363.24 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural land use recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 513.57 million hectares in 1968.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 342.60 million hectares in 2016.
- How does Australia rank for agricultural land use?
- Australia ranks 4th out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Land used for cultivation of crops and animal husbandry. The total of areas under cropland and permanent meadows and pastures.