Agricultural land use in Malta
Malta: Agricultural land use was 8,291 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
8,291 hectares
Change on year
down 5.2%
World rank
196th
of 227 countries
All-time high
18,000 hectares
in 1961
All-time low
8,291 hectares
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use in Malta, 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 Malta is 8,291 hectares, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.2% on the previous year and down 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Malta peaked at 18,000 hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 8,291 hectares, in 2023.
That places Malta 196th out of 227 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use in Malta, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 18,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 17,000 hectares | -5.6% |
| 1963 | 16,000 hectares | -5.9% |
| 1964 | 15,000 hectares | -6.2% |
| 1965 | 14,000 hectares | -6.7% |
| 1966 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 13,000 hectares | -7.1% |
| 1976 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 14,000 hectares | +7.7% |
| 1978 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 13,000 hectares | -7.1% |
| 1981 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 11,000 hectares | -15.4% |
| 1996 | 11,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 10,000 hectares | -9.1% |
| 1998 | 9,000 hectares | -10.0% |
| 1999 | 9,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 9,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 10,000 hectares | +11.1% |
| 2002 | 10,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 10,400 hectares | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 10,000 hectares | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 9,300 hectares | -7.0% |
| 2006 | 9,300 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9,300 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9,300 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9,300 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 10,330 hectares | +11.1% |
| 2011 | 10,330 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10,300 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 10,230 hectares | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 10,230 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 10,230 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 10,380 hectares | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 10,380 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 10,380 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 10,380 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9,110 hectares | -12.2% |
| 2021 | 8,750 hectares | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 8,750 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8,291 hectares | -5.2% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 8,291 hectares is below the median for high income countries, which is 982,000 hectares, 1% of the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Malta's 8,291 hectares is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.06 million hectares, 0% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 15,111 hectares | 14,000 hectares | 18,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 13,800 hectares | 13,000 hectares | 14,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 13,000 hectares | 13,000 hectares | 13,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 11,500 hectares | 9,000 hectares | 13,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 9,590 hectares | 9,000 hectares | 10,400 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 10,317 hectares | 10,230 hectares | 10,380 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,725 hectares | 8,291 hectares | 9,110 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malta
- 193 Barbados 10,000 hectares compare
- 194 Saint Lucia 9,940 hectares compare
- 195 Antigua and Barbuda 9,000 hectares compare
- 197 Bahrain 8,100 hectares compare
- 198 Grenada 8,000 hectares compare
- 198 Netherlands Antilles 8,000 hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Malta
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0047 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 224.75 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0432 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in Malta?
- Agricultural land use in Malta was 8,291 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 18,000 hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,291 hectares in 2023.
- How does Malta rank for agricultural land use?
- Malta ranks 196th out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malta 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.