Agricultural land use in Benin
Benin: Agricultural land use was 4.72 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.72 million hectares
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
92nd
of 227 countries
All-time high
4.86 million hectares
in 2022
All-time low
1.41 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use in Benin, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, agricultural land use in Benin stood at 4.72 million hectares.
The figure is down 2.9% on the previous year and up 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Benin peaked at 4.86 million hectares in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.41 million hectares, in 1961.
Benin ranks 92nd of 227 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use in Benin, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.41 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 1.44 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 1.46 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 1.47 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 1.50 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1966 | 1.53 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 1.57 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 1.60 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 1.69 million hectares | +5.3% |
| 1970 | 1.71 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1971 | 1.76 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 1.79 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 1.81 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 1.83 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 1.87 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1976 | 1.90 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 1.93 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 1.95 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 1.97 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 2.00 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 2.03 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 2.08 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 2.07 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 2.09 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 2.13 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 2.19 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 2.20 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 2.21 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 2.21 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.26 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 2.27 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 2.29 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 2.33 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 2.39 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 2.51 million hectares | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 2.70 million hectares | +7.6% |
| 1997 | 2.89 million hectares | +6.8% |
| 1998 | 3.04 million hectares | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 3.11 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 3.19 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 3.26 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 3.37 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 3.47 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 3.46 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 3.47 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 3.34 million hectares | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 3.38 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 3.58 million hectares | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 3.74 million hectares | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 3.49 million hectares | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 3.62 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 3.77 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 3.98 million hectares | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 4.00 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 4.07 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 3.88 million hectares | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 4.09 million hectares | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 4.46 million hectares | +9.0% |
| 2019 | 4.63 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 4.43 million hectares | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 4.62 million hectares | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 4.86 million hectares | +5.0% |
| 2023 | 4.72 million hectares | -2.9% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 4.72 million hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.40 million hectares, 50% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Benin's 4.72 million hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.51 million hectares, 35% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.52 million hectares | 1.41 million hectares | 1.69 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.85 million hectares | 1.71 million hectares | 1.97 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.12 million hectares | 2.00 million hectares | 2.21 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.58 million hectares | 2.26 million hectares | 3.11 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.43 million hectares | 3.19 million hectares | 3.74 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.00 million hectares | 3.49 million hectares | 4.63 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.66 million hectares | 4.43 million hectares | 4.86 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More agriculture & rural data for Benin
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2292 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 380.06 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.6697 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4664 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 22.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 22.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 52.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in Benin?
- Agricultural land use in Benin was 4.72 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 4.86 million hectares in 2022.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.41 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Benin rank for agricultural land use?
- Benin ranks 92nd out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin 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.