Is agricultural land expanding? Change over the prior decade by country

Percentage change in surface area devoted to agriculture with respect to 10 years before. Negative values imply that surface area has decreased with respect to the previous decade. This data is used to assess which countries may have already peaked in their agricultural land use.

Countries reporting
220
Highest
130.0%
San Marino
Lowest
-68.2%
Northern Mariana Islands
Median
0.0%
Years covered
53
1971–2023
Data points
10,928

What the numbers show

Is agricultural land expanding? Change over the prior decade is currently reported for 220 countries. The highest value is 130.0% in San Marino; the lowest is -68.2% in Northern Mariana Islands.

The median across all reporting countries is 0.0%, and the mean is 0.0%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.

Over the past decade 92 countries rose and 113 fell. The largest increase was in Turkmenistan (up 3,348.4%), and the largest decrease in Bosnia and Herzegovina (down 13,048.5%).

Is agricultural land expanding? Change over the prior decade: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 San Marino 130.0% 2023 — volatile
2 French Guiana 46.4% 2023 up 87.0% volatile
3 Sao Tome and Principe 22.9% 2023 up 922.9% volatile
4 Cote d'Ivoire 22.0% 2023 up 37.0% volatile
5 Cyprus 18.5% 2023 up 163.2% volatile
6 Benin 18.5% 2023 up 26.0% rising
7 Montenegro 18.1% 2023 up 136.0% volatile
8 Central African Republic 15.7% 2023 up 1,405.5% volatile
9 Guinea 15.0% 2023 up 37.7% volatile
10 Burundi 14.2% 2023 up 380.7% volatile
11 Belize 13.8% 2023 up 161.2% volatile
12 Vietnam 13.3% 2023 down 3.9% volatile
13 Turkmenistan 12.1% 2023 up 3,348.4% volatile
14 Democratic Republic of Congo 11.7% 2023 down 49.3% volatile
15 American Samoa 11.3% 2023 down 11.3% volatile
16 Solomon Islands 11.1% 2023 down 39.8% volatile
17 Burkina Faso 11.0% 2023 down 18.8% volatile
18 Cambodia 10.8% 2023 up 22.4% volatile
19 Dominican Republic 10.3% 2023 up 382.8% volatile
20 Paraguay 9.9% 2023 down 20.0% rising
21 Sri Lanka 9.7% 2023 down 34.4% volatile
22 Liberia 9.5% 2023 down 53.7% volatile
23 Papua New Guinea 9.3% 2023 down 42.4% falling
24 Guatemala 9.2% 2023 up 162.8% volatile
25 Malawi 9.1% 2023 down 19.7% volatile
26 Egypt 8.8% 2023 down 7.2% volatile
27 Guinea-Bissau 8.7% 2023 down 28.7% rising
28 Indonesia 7.3% 2023 down 29.2% volatile
29 Portugal 7.3% 2023 up 346.1% volatile
30 Iraq 6.7% 2023 up 188.7% volatile
31 Malaysia 6.3% 2023 down 52.1% volatile
32 Honduras 6.1% 2023 down 11.2% volatile
33 Tonga 6.1% 2023 down 39.4% volatile
34 Senegal 6.1% 2023 up 55.6% volatile
35 Qatar 5.4% 2023 down 10.4% volatile
36 Latvia 5.0% 2023 down 73.1% volatile
37 Lesotho 4.8% 2023 up 314.2% volatile
38 Tajikistan 4.7% 2023 up 124.4% volatile
39 Ethiopia 4.6% 2023 down 72.2% falling
40 Mali 4.0% 2023 up 78.9% volatile
41 Tanzania 3.9% 2023 down 64.5% falling
42 Oman 3.7% 2023 up 8.6% volatile
43 Nigeria 3.6% 2023 up 107.0% volatile
44 Myanmar 3.3% 2023 down 77.7% volatile
45 United Arab Emirates 3.2% 2023 up 110.3% volatile
46 Bangladesh 3.2% 2023 up 235.5% volatile
47 Israel 3.2% 2023 up 156.6% volatile
48 Mozambique 3.0% 2023 down 48.8% volatile
49 Iran 2.4% 2023 up 108.5% volatile
50 Estonia 2.4% 2023 down 85.5% volatile
51 Lebanon 2.2% 2023 down 59.1% volatile
52 Uzbekistan 2.1% 2023 up 131.0% volatile
53 Philippines 2.0% 2023 down 81.4% volatile
54 Niger 2.0% 2023 down 89.4% volatile
55 Bolivia 1.9% 2023 down 51.0% volatile
56 Luxembourg 1.6% 2023 down 28.1% volatile
57 Peru 1.5% 2023 down 56.9% volatile
58 Kenya 1.5% 2023 down 72.2% volatile
59 Cameroon 1.5% 2023 down 76.6% volatile
60 Isle of Man 1.5% 2023 up 109.8% volatile
61 Bhutan 1.4% 2023 up 113.1% volatile
62 Falkland Islands 1.3% 2023 up 218.2% volatile
63 Angola 1.3% 2023 down 43.1% volatile
64 Belgium 1.3% 2023 up 131.4% volatile
65 Brazil 1.2% 2023 down 49.7% volatile
66 Poland 1.2% 2023 up 110.8% volatile
67 Ghana 1.1% 2023 up 211.0% volatile
68 Cuba 0.9% 2023 up 120.8% volatile
69 Equatorial Guinea 0.7% 2023 down 40.8% volatile
70 Chad 0.6% 2023 down 75.6% volatile
71 Afghanistan 0.5% 2023 up 691.8% volatile
72 East Timor 0.5% 2023 down 69.5% volatile
73 Zambia 0.4% 2023 down 88.1% volatile
74 Turkey 0.4% 2023 up 107.9% volatile
75 Czechia 0.4% 2023 up 109.5% volatile
76 Nicaragua 0.4% 2023 up 112.9% volatile
77 USSR 0.3% 1991 down 67.8% falling
78 Azerbaijan 0.2% 2023 down 35.7% volatile
79 Congo 0.2% 2023 down 77.5% volatile
80 New Caledonia 0.2% 2023 up 100.7% volatile
81 Slovenia 0.2% 2023 down 99.2% volatile
82 Bulgaria 0.2% 2023 up 102.6% volatile
83 Finland 0.2% 2023 down 72.2% volatile
84 Guyana 0.1% 2023 up 15.8% volatile
85 Russia 0.1% 2023 up 126.5% volatile
86 Djibouti 0.1% 2023 down 0.1% volatile
87 Greenland 0.0% 2023 down 98.3% volatile
88 Sierra Leone 0.0% 2023 down 99.9% volatile
89 Namibia 0.0% 2023 up 127.3% volatile
90 Somalia 0.0% 2023 down 81.2% volatile
91 Antigua and Barbuda 0.0% 2023 — volatile
91 Bahamas 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
91 Bermuda 0.0% 2023 up 100.0% volatile
91 Brunei 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
91 Comoros 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
91 Cape Verde 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
91 Dominica 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
91 Eritrea 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
91 Micronesia (country) 0.0% 2023 up 100.0% volatile
91 Gabon 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
91 Grenada 0.0% 2023 up 100.0% volatile
91 Kiribati 0.0% 2023 — volatile
91 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.0% 2023 up 100.0% volatile
91 Saint Lucia 0.0% 2023 up 100.0% volatile
91 Madagascar 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
91 Marshall Islands 0.0% 2023 up 100.0% volatile
91 Mauritania 0.0% 2023 — volatile
91 Nauru 0.0% 2023 — volatile
91 Seychelles 0.0% 2023 up 100.0% volatile
91 Togo 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
91 Trinidad and Tobago 0.0% 2023 up 100.0% volatile
91 Tuvalu 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
91 Uganda 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
91 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.0% 2023 — volatile
91 Venezuela 0.0% 2023 up 100.0% volatile
91 British Virgin Islands 0.0% 2023 — volatile
91 Vanuatu 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
91 South Africa 0.0% 2023 up 100.0% volatile
91 Western Sahara 0.0% 2023 — volatile
91 Cook Islands 0.0% 2023 up 100.0% volatile
91 Montserrat 0.0% 2023 — volatile
91 Niue 0.0% 2023 — volatile
91 Saint Helena 0.0% 2023 — volatile
91 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0.0% 2023 up 100.0% volatile
91 Tokelau 0.0% 2023 — volatile
91 Wallis and Futuna 0.0% 2023 — volatile
91 Netherlands Antilles 0.0% 2010 — volatile
133 Libya -0.0% 2023 up 94.7% volatile
134 Saudi Arabia -0.0% 2023 down 18.6% volatile
135 Mauritius -0.0% 2023 up 99.6% volatile
136 Botswana -0.1% 2023 down 123.2% volatile
137 Zimbabwe -0.1% 2023 down 103.4% volatile
138 Yemen -0.2% 2023 down 1,274.8% volatile
139 Algeria -0.2% 2023 down 105.5% volatile
140 Denmark -0.3% 2023 up 76.4% volatile
141 Faroe Islands -0.3% 2023 down 145.2% volatile
142 Andorra -0.4% 2023 up 97.9% volatile
143 Jamaica -0.4% 2023 up 96.3% volatile
144 Ukraine -0.5% 2023 down 225.2% volatile
145 Norway -0.5% 2023 up 89.7% volatile
146 United States -0.5% 2023 down 120.6% volatile
147 India -0.6% 2023 down 105.2% volatile
148 Lithuania -0.6% 2023 down 104.6% volatile
149 Germany -0.7% 2023 up 62.8% volatile
150 North Macedonia -0.7% 2023 up 77.3% volatile
151 Uruguay -0.8% 2023 up 80.6% volatile
152 Pakistan -0.8% 2023 up 48.5% volatile
153 Moldova -0.9% 2023 up 67.8% volatile
154 China -0.9% 2023 down 965.0% volatile
155 Mexico -0.9% 2023 up 85.7% volatile
156 Kazakhstan -1.3% 2023 down 167.1% volatile
157 North Korea -1.4% 2023 down 135.8% volatile
158 United Kingdom -1.4% 2023 down 180.4% volatile
159 Singapore -1.5% 2023 up 90.8% volatile
160 Gambia -1.6% 2023 down 104.2% volatile
161 France -1.7% 2023 up 35.7% rising
162 Canada -1.7% 2023 up 74.8% volatile
163 Fiji -1.7% 2023 up 83.9% volatile
164 Sweden -1.8% 2023 up 39.8% volatile
165 Armenia -1.8% 2023 down 111.0% volatile
166 El Salvador -1.9% 2023 up 35.6% volatile
167 Kyrgyzstan -1.9% 2023 up 28.3% volatile
168 Eswatini -1.9% 2023 down 354.0% volatile
169 Thailand -2.0% 2023 down 167.5% volatile
170 Switzerland -2.1% 2023 up 0.3% rising
171 Syria -2.3% 2023 down 389.4% volatile
172 Australia -2.3% 2023 up 85.1% volatile
173 Kuwait -2.3% 2023 down 236.1% volatile
174 Laos -2.4% 2023 down 110.4% volatile
175 Panama -2.4% 2023 down 777.6% volatile
176 Netherlands -2.4% 2023 up 30.1% volatile
177 Tunisia -2.4% 2023 down 250.1% volatile
178 Morocco -2.6% 2023 down 176.4% volatile
179 Taiwan -2.6% 2023 up 49.6% volatile
180 Serbia -2.7% 2023 down 19.1% volatile
181 Jordan -3.1% 2023 down 160.1% volatile
182 Mayotte -3.1% 2023 — volatile
183 Liechtenstein -3.2% 2023 up 83.7% volatile
184 Hungary -3.3% 2023 up 68.1% falling
185 Slovakia -3.6% 2023 up 76.4% volatile
186 Italy -4.0% 2023 up 53.5% volatile
187 Austria -4.4% 2023 up 25.0% rising
188 Georgia -4.6% 2023 up 73.4% volatile
189 Rwanda -4.9% 2023 down 198.2% volatile
190 Bahrain -5.0% 2023 up 54.0% volatile
191 Croatia -5.2% 2023 down 116.7% volatile
192 Argentina -5.5% 2023 down 15.8% volatile
193 Palestine -5.6% 2023 up 48.9% volatile
194 Mongolia -5.8% 2023 down 2,627.7% volatile
195 Japan -5.8% 2023 down 20.7% rising
196 French Polynesia -6.0% 2023 up 15.8% rising
197 Costa Rica -6.0% 2023 down 294.1% volatile
198 Ireland -6.4% 2023 down 362.7% volatile
199 Spain -7.3% 2023 up 11.6% volatile
200 Nepal -7.7% 2023 down 90.4% volatile
201 Belarus -7.8% 2023 down 154.2% falling
202 Maldives -7.8% 2023 up 83.3% volatile
203 Romania -8.6% 2023 down 41.5% volatile
204 Colombia -9.7% 2023 down 247.0% volatile
205 Guam -11.1% 2023 down 11.1% volatile
206 South Korea -11.3% 2023 down 61.9% volatile
207 Albania -12.0% 2023 down 303.2% volatile
208 Puerto Rico -12.1% 2023 down 11.7% volatile
209 Iceland -12.5% 2023 down 1,742.2% volatile
210 New Zealand -12.6% 2023 down 98.1% volatile
211 Haiti -13.2% 2023 down 155.4% volatile
212 Suriname -14.1% 2023 down 521.7% volatile
213 Guadeloupe -15.0% 2023 down 178.4% volatile
214 Martinique -15.2% 2023 down 201.0% volatile
215 Reunion -16.4% 2023 down 537.6% volatile
216 United States Virgin Islands -17.5% 2023 up 47.5% volatile
217 Malta -19.0% 2023 down 1,059.5% volatile
218 Samoa -20.0% 2023 down 156.1% volatile
219 Barbados -20.0% 2023 up 24.4% volatile
220 Hong Kong -21.6% 2023 up 20.5% volatile
221 Chile -22.0% 2023 down 98.8% volatile
222 Greece -24.9% 2023 down 87.0% volatile
223 Ecuador -28.8% 2023 down 893.6% volatile
224 Bosnia and Herzegovina -48.5% 2023 down 13,048.5% volatile
225 Northern Mariana Islands -68.2% 2023 down 57.5% falling

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

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Is agricultural land expanding? Change over the prior decade by country. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/agriculture-more-less-land/

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About this data

Indicator
Is agricultural land expanding? Change over the prior decade
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
226 places, 10,928 data points, 1971–2023
Last refreshed

Percentage change in surface area devoted to agriculture with respect to 10 years before. Negative values imply that surface area has decreased with respect to the previous decade. This data is used to assess which countries may have already peaked in their agricultural land use.