Agricultural land use in India
India: Agricultural land use was 178.57 million hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Agricultural land use in India, 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 India stood at 178.57 million hectares.
The figure is down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in India peaked at 181.59 million hectares in 1991 and was at its lowest, 174.95 million hectares, in 1961.
That places India 7th out of 226 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 177.00 million hectares | 174.95 million hectares | 178.36 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 179.20 million hectares | 177.82 million hectares | 180.59 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 181.00 million hectares | 180.27 million hectares | 181.54 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 181.14 million hectares | 180.59 million hectares | 181.59 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 180.21 million hectares | 179.62 million hectares | 180.97 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 179.50 million hectares | 179.04 million hectares | 179.73 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 178.55 million hectares | 178.53 million hectares | 178.57 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More agriculture & rural data for India
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 642.24 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 16.2% (2025)
- Rural population 941.42 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Rural population 64.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.2% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.2% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 107.67 million hectares (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in India?
- Agricultural land use in India was 178.57 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 181.59 million hectares in 1991.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 174.95 million hectares in 1961.
- How does India rank for agricultural land use?
- India ranks 7th out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this India 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.