Agricultural land use in Eswatini
Eswatini: Agricultural land use was 1.20 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.20 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
138th
of 227 countries
All-time high
1.51 million hectares
in 1972
All-time low
1.20 million hectares
in 2020
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use in Eswatini, 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 Eswatini stood at 1.20 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Eswatini peaked at 1.51 million hectares in 1972 and was at its lowest, 1.20 million hectares, in 2020.
Eswatini ranks 138th of 227 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.47 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 1.48 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 1.47 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 1.48 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 1.48 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1966 | 1.49 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 1.50 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 1.50 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 1.49 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 1.49 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1.49 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.51 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 1.51 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1.48 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 1.31 million hectares | -11.4% |
| 1976 | 1.37 million hectares | +4.4% |
| 1977 | 1.39 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 1.39 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1.34 million hectares | -3.8% |
| 1980 | 1.29 million hectares | -3.7% |
| 1981 | 1.28 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 1.29 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 1.29 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 1.27 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 1.28 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 1.33 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 1.31 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1988 | 1.28 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 1.26 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 1.24 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 1.23 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 1.22 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 1.22 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.22 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 1.22 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 1.22 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.22 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.22 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 1.22 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 1.21 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 1.21 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 1.20 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 1.20 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 1.20 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 1.20 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 1.20 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.20 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.20 million hectares | +0.0% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 1.20 million hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.40 million hectares, 13% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 1.20 million hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.51 million hectares, 9% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.48 million hectares | 1.47 million hectares | 1.50 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.43 million hectares | 1.31 million hectares | 1.51 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.29 million hectares | 1.26 million hectares | 1.33 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.22 million hectares | 1.22 million hectares | 1.24 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.22 million hectares | 1.22 million hectares | 1.22 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.21 million hectares | 1.20 million hectares | 1.22 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.20 million hectares | 1.20 million hectares | 1.20 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
- 135 Belgium 1.35 million hectares compare
- 136 North Macedonia 1.25 million hectares compare
- 137 El Salvador 1.20 million hectares compare
- 139 Falkland Islands 1.13 million hectares compare
- 140 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.11 million hectares compare
- 141 Albania 1.04 million hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Eswatini
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0641 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 263.26 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4281 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7328 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 6.2% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in Eswatini?
- Agricultural land use in Eswatini was 1.20 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 Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 1.51 million hectares in 1972.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.20 million hectares in 2020.
- How does Eswatini rank for agricultural land use?
- Eswatini ranks 138th out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eswatini 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.