Agricultural land use in Iceland
Iceland: Agricultural land use was 1.64 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Agricultural land use in Iceland, 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 Iceland stood at 1.64 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 12.5% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Iceland peaked at 2.12 million hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.64 million hectares, in 2023.
That places Iceland 128th out of 226 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.12 million hectares | 2.12 million hectares | 2.12 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.96 million hectares | 1.91 million hectares | 2.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.90 million hectares | 1.90 million hectares | 1.90 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.90 million hectares | 1.89 million hectares | 1.90 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.88 million hectares | 1.88 million hectares | 1.89 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.87 million hectares | 1.87 million hectares | 1.87 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.81 million hectares | 1.64 million hectares | 1.87 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 126 Costa Rica 1.69 million hectares compare
- 127 Armenia 1.65 million hectares compare
- 129 South Korea 1.57 million hectares compare
- 130 Switzerland 1.49 million hectares compare
- 131 Croatia 1.49 million hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Iceland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.41 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.7% (2025)
- Rural population 22,689 (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.9% (2025)
- Rural population 5.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.7% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.7% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 3,160 hectares (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in Iceland?
- Agricultural land use in Iceland was 1.64 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.12 million hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.64 million hectares in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for agricultural land use?
- Iceland ranks 128th out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.