Agricultural land use in Laos
Laos: Agricultural land use was 2.29 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2.29 million hectares
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
115th
of 227 countries
All-time high
2.43 million hectares
in 2016
All-time low
1.45 million hectares
in 1964
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use in Laos, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for agricultural land use in Laos is 2.29 million hectares, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Laos peaked at 2.43 million hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.45 million hectares, in 1964.
Laos ranks 115th of 227 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use in Laos, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.55 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 1.55 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.50 million hectares | -3.2% |
| 1964 | 1.45 million hectares | -3.3% |
| 1965 | 1.45 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1.46 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 1.46 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1.47 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 1.47 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 1.48 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 1.48 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 1.51 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1973 | 1.53 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 1.55 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 1.57 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 1.58 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 1.59 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 1.60 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 1.60 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 1.61 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 1.61 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 1.62 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 1.62 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 1.63 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 1.64 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 1.64 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 1.64 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 1.65 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 1.65 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 1.66 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 1.66 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 1.66 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 1.67 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 1.69 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 1.70 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 1.70 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.76 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 1.76 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 1.77 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 1.81 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 1.84 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 1.88 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 1.91 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 1.95 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 1.99 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 2.02 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 2.06 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 2.10 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 2.17 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 2.19 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 2.22 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 2.26 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 2.34 million hectares | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 2.39 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 2.41 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 2.43 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 2.36 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 2.32 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 2.26 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 2.21 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 2.21 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 2.26 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 2.29 million hectares | +1.2% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 2.29 million hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.40 million hectares, 24% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Laos's 2.29 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 249,300 hectares, 9.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.48 million hectares | 1.45 million hectares | 1.55 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.55 million hectares | 1.48 million hectares | 1.60 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.63 million hectares | 1.61 million hectares | 1.65 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.70 million hectares | 1.66 million hectares | 1.77 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.97 million hectares | 1.81 million hectares | 2.17 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.32 million hectares | 2.19 million hectares | 2.43 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.24 million hectares | 2.21 million hectares | 2.29 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More agriculture & rural data for Laos
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1662 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 386.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0583 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5969 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 10.3% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 4.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in Laos?
- Agricultural land use in Laos was 2.29 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 Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 2.43 million hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.45 million hectares in 1964.
- How does Laos rank for agricultural land use?
- Laos ranks 115th out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos 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.