Agricultural land use in Brazil
Brazil: Agricultural land use was 236.76 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
236.76 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
5th
of 227 countries
All-time high
242.00 million hectares
in 1985
All-time low
156.96 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use in Brazil, 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 Brazil stood at 236.76 million hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Brazil peaked at 242.00 million hectares in 1985 and was at its lowest, 156.96 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Brazil 5th out of 227 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use in Brazil, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 156.96 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 160.67 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 164.37 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1964 | 168.08 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 171.79 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1966 | 175.49 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1967 | 179.20 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1968 | 182.91 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 186.62 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1970 | 190.33 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 193.83 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 197.34 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 200.85 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 204.35 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 207.86 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 212.78 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 217.70 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 222.62 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1979 | 227.54 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 232.52 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 234.41 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 236.31 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 238.21 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 240.10 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 242.00 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 240.58 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 239.16 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 237.74 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 236.32 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 234.90 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 233.48 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 232.06 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 230.64 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 229.22 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 227.81 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 227.91 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 228.01 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 228.12 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 228.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 228.32 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 228.43 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 228.53 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 228.63 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 228.74 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 228.84 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 228.95 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 229.67 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 230.39 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 231.11 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 231.83 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 232.56 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 233.28 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 234.00 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 234.72 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 235.44 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 236.16 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 236.88 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 236.85 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 236.83 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 236.81 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 236.78 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 236.76 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 236.76 million hectares | +0.0% |
Brazil compared with similar countries
- Brazil's 236.76 million hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.20 million hectares, 74.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Brazil's 236.76 million hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.20 million hectares, 198.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 171.79 million hectares | 156.96 million hectares | 186.62 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 207.52 million hectares | 190.33 million hectares | 227.54 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 237.74 million hectares | 232.52 million hectares | 242.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 230.04 million hectares | 227.81 million hectares | 234.90 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 229.16 million hectares | 228.32 million hectares | 231.11 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 234.85 million hectares | 231.83 million hectares | 236.88 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 236.78 million hectares | 236.76 million hectares | 236.81 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
More agriculture & rural data for Brazil
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0609 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 652.04 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.95 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1182 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 5.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in Brazil?
- Agricultural land use in Brazil was 236.76 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 Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 242.00 million hectares in 1985.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 156.96 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Brazil rank for agricultural land use?
- Brazil ranks 5th out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Brazil 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.