Agricultural land use in Madagascar
Madagascar: Agricultural land use was 40.90 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
40.90 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
27th
of 227 countries
All-time high
40.90 million hectares
in 2008
All-time low
35.15 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use in Madagascar, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Madagascar recorded 40.90 million hectares for agricultural land use in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Madagascar peaked at 40.90 million hectares in 2008 and was at its lowest, 35.15 million hectares, in 1961.
Madagascar ranks 27th of 227 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use in Madagascar, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 35.15 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 35.17 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 35.20 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 35.22 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 35.24 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 35.27 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 35.30 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 35.32 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 35.35 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 35.37 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 35.39 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 35.42 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 35.44 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 35.48 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 35.76 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 35.76 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 35.93 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 36.00 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 36.02 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 36.04 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 36.08 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 36.10 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 36.13 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 36.16 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 36.20 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 36.22 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 36.24 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 36.27 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 36.30 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 36.33 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 36.35 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 36.37 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 36.49 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 36.48 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 36.48 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 36.60 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 37.49 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 38.49 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 39.50 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 40.50 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 40.84 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 40.84 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 40.84 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 40.84 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 40.89 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 40.89 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 40.89 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 40.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
Madagascar compared with similar countries
- Madagascar's 40.90 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 14.61 million hectares, 2.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Madagascar's 40.90 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.51 million hectares, 3.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 35.25 million hectares | 35.15 million hectares | 35.35 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 35.66 million hectares | 35.37 million hectares | 36.02 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 36.17 million hectares | 36.04 million hectares | 36.30 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.06 million hectares | 36.33 million hectares | 39.50 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.83 million hectares | 40.50 million hectares | 40.90 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.90 million hectares | 40.90 million hectares | 40.90 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.90 million hectares | 40.90 million hectares | 40.90 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Madagascar
- 24 Mozambique 41.51 million hectares compare
- 25 Algeria 41.34 million hectares compare
- 26 Ukraine 41.31 million hectares compare
- 28 Colombia 40.48 million hectares compare
- 29 Mauritania 39.71 million hectares compare
- 30 Turkmenistan 39.58 million hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Madagascar
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.217 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 130.06 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0011 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.671 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in Madagascar?
- Agricultural land use in Madagascar was 40.90 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 Madagascar?
- The highest recorded value was 40.90 million hectares in 2008.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Madagascar?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.15 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Madagascar rank for agricultural land use?
- Madagascar ranks 27th out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in Madagascar?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Madagascar 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.