Agricultural land use in Iceland
Iceland: Agricultural land use was 1.64 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.64 million hectares
Change on year
down 12.5%
World rank
129th
of 227 countries
All-time high
2.12 million hectares
in 1961
All-time low
1.64 million hectares
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
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 129th out of 227 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.
Agricultural land use in Iceland, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.12 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 2.12 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 2.12 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2.12 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2.12 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 2.12 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 2.12 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 2.12 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 2.12 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.00 million hectares | -5.6% |
| 1971 | 1.99 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 1.98 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 1.97 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 1.96 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 1.95 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 1.94 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 1.93 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 1.92 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 1.91 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 1.90 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.90 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.90 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 1.90 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 1.90 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 1.89 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 1.89 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.89 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 1.89 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 1.88 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 1.88 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 1.88 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 1.88 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 1.88 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.88 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 1.87 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 1.87 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.87 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.87 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.64 million hectares | -12.5% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 1.64 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 982,000 hectares, 1.7× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 1.64 million hectares is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.61 million hectares, 63% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
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 Djibouti 1.70 million hectares compare
- 127 Costa Rica 1.69 million hectares compare
- 128 Armenia 1.65 million hectares compare
- 130 South Korea 1.57 million hectares compare
- 131 Switzerland 1.49 million hectares compare
- 132 Croatia 1.49 million hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Iceland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 19.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0365 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 3,593 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8983 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0578 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
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 129th out of 227 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.