Agricultural land use in Norway
Norway: Agricultural land use was 982,000 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
982,000 hectares
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
144th
of 227 countries
All-time high
1.13 million hectares
in 1996
All-time low
896,000 hectares
in 1976
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use in Norway, 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 Norway is 982,000 hectares, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Norway peaked at 1.13 million hectares in 1996 and was at its lowest, 896,000 hectares, in 1976.
Norway ranks 144th 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 Norway, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.03 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 1.03 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 1.03 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 1.02 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 1.01 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 1.00 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 1.00 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 994,000 hectares | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 986,000 hectares | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 954,000 hectares | -3.2% |
| 1971 | 931,000 hectares | -2.4% |
| 1972 | 910,000 hectares | -2.3% |
| 1973 | 904,000 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 901,000 hectares | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 898,000 hectares | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 896,000 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 899,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 900,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 954,000 hectares | +6.0% |
| 1980 | 936,000 hectares | -1.9% |
| 1981 | 936,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 942,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 945,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 954,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 957,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 969,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 970,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 976,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 991,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 976,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1991 | 1.01 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 1.00 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 1.01 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 1.03 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 1.13 million hectares | +9.4% |
| 1996 | 1.13 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 1.04 million hectares | -8.3% |
| 1998 | 1.05 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 1.04 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 1.04 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 1.05 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 1.05 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 1.04 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 1.04 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.04 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 1.03 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 1.03 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 1.02 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 1.01 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 1.01 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 999,000 hectares | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 992,800 hectares | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 987,143 hectares | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 986,760 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 986,030 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 983,661 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 985,112 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 986,280 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 984,254 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 985,962 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 985,000 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 985,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 982,000 hectares | -0.3% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 982,000 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 982,000 hectares, 1.0× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Norway's 982,000 hectares is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.61 million hectares, 38% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.01 million hectares | 986,000 hectares | 1.03 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 914,700 hectares | 896,000 hectares | 954,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 957,600 hectares | 936,000 hectares | 991,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.04 million hectares | 976,000 hectares | 1.13 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.04 million hectares | 1.01 million hectares | 1.05 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 989,694 hectares | 983,661 hectares | 1.01 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 984,490 hectares | 982,000 hectares | 985,962 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More agriculture & rural data for Norway
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0164 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,553 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.7644 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1643 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in Norway?
- Agricultural land use in Norway was 982,000 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 1.13 million hectares in 1996.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 896,000 hectares in 1976.
- How does Norway rank for agricultural land use?
- Norway ranks 144th out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway 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
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About this data
Land used for cultivation of crops and animal husbandry. The total of areas under cropland and permanent meadows and pastures.