Agricultural land use in Spain
Spain: Agricultural land use was 24.77 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
24.77 million hectares
Change on year
down 7.1%
World rank
46th
of 227 countries
All-time high
33.23 million hectares
in 1962
All-time low
24.77 million hectares
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use in Spain, 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 Spain stood at 24.77 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.1% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Spain peaked at 33.23 million hectares in 1962 and was at its lowest, 24.77 million hectares, in 2023.
Spain ranks 46th of 227 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use in Spain, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 33.23 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 33.23 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 33.14 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 32.75 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1965 | 32.69 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 32.16 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 32.38 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 32.16 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 32.53 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1970 | 32.12 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1971 | 32.68 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 32.57 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 32.28 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 32.08 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 31.92 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 31.52 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 31.59 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 31.48 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 31.36 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 31.24 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 31.21 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 31.19 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 30.79 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 30.63 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 30.71 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 30.61 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 30.60 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1988 | 30.58 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 30.70 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 30.47 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 30.37 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 30.28 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 30.03 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 30.18 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 29.72 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 30.14 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 30.06 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 29.96 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 29.78 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 29.77 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 29.52 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 29.42 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 29.15 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 29.07 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 29.16 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 28.61 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 28.00 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 28.14 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 27.97 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 27.55 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 27.01 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 26.94 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 26.73 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 26.58 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 26.58 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 26.27 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 26.30 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 26.18 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 26.21 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 26.14 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 26.23 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 26.66 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 24.77 million hectares | -7.1% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 24.77 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 982,000 hectares, 25.2× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Spain's 24.77 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.61 million hectares, 9.5× the median. (54 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.70 million hectares | 32.16 million hectares | 33.23 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 31.96 million hectares | 31.36 million hectares | 32.68 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 30.83 million hectares | 30.58 million hectares | 31.24 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.10 million hectares | 29.72 million hectares | 30.47 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.88 million hectares | 27.97 million hectares | 29.77 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.63 million hectares | 26.18 million hectares | 27.55 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.95 million hectares | 24.77 million hectares | 26.66 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More agriculture & rural data for Spain
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0268 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,036 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0113 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1949 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in Spain?
- Agricultural land use in Spain was 24.77 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 33.23 million hectares in 1962.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.77 million hectares in 2023.
- How does Spain rank for agricultural land use?
- Spain ranks 46th out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.