Agricultural land use in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Agricultural land use was 38.46 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
38.46 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
35th
of 227 countries
All-time high
38.77 million hectares
in 2021
All-time low
30.45 million hectares
in 1998
Years of data
31
1993–2023
Agricultural land use in Ethiopia, 1993–2023
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 Ethiopia stood at 38.46 million hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Ethiopia peaked at 38.77 million hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 30.45 million hectares, in 1998.
That places Ethiopia 35th out of 227 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Agricultural land use in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 30.54 million hectares | — |
| 1994 | 30.47 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 30.50 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 30.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 30.49 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 30.45 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 30.56 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 30.53 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 30.56 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 30.50 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 31.61 million hectares | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 33.10 million hectares | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 33.59 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 34.22 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 35.08 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 34.51 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 34.98 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 35.68 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 36.33 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 36.49 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 36.78 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 36.96 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 37.20 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 37.36 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 37.54 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 37.90 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 38.19 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 38.48 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 38.77 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 38.46 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 38.46 million hectares | +0.0% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 38.46 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 14.61 million hectares, 2.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 38.46 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.51 million hectares, 2.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 30.50 million hectares | 30.45 million hectares | 30.56 million hectares | 7 |
| 2000s | 32.87 million hectares | 30.50 million hectares | 35.08 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.04 million hectares | 35.68 million hectares | 38.19 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.54 million hectares | 38.46 million hectares | 38.77 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More agriculture & rural data for Ethiopia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -20.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3282 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 306.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7589 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 32.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 32.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in Ethiopia?
- Agricultural land use in Ethiopia was 38.46 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 38.77 million hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.45 million hectares in 1998.
- How does Ethiopia rank for agricultural land use?
- Ethiopia ranks 35th out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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 — 31 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.