Arable and permanent cropland in Kenya
Kenya: Arable and permanent cropland was 6.15 million hectares in 2011. ▲ Rising
Latest (2011)
6.15 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
15th
of 52 countries
All-time high
6.15 million hectares
in 2009
All-time low
3.90 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
51
1961–2011
Arable and permanent cropland in Kenya, 1961–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2011, arable and permanent cropland in Kenya stood at 6.15 million hectares. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable and permanent cropland in Kenya peaked at 6.15 million hectares in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3.90 million hectares, in 1961.
Kenya ranks 15th of 52 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Arable and permanent cropland in Kenya, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.90 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 3.90 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 3.91 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 3.92 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 3.92 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 3.92 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 3.93 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 3.94 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 3.94 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 3.94 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 3.95 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 3.96 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 3.96 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 3.96 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 4.27 million hectares | +7.7% |
| 1976 | 4.28 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 4.28 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 4.28 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 4.28 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 4.28 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 4.28 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 4.28 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 4.28 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 4.21 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 5.05 million hectares | +20.2% |
| 1986 | 5.07 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 5.13 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 5.36 million hectares | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 5.75 million hectares | +7.3% |
| 1990 | 5.47 million hectares | -4.9% |
| 1991 | 5.58 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 5.77 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 5.54 million hectares | -4.0% |
| 1994 | 5.93 million hectares | +7.1% |
| 1995 | 5.92 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 5.15 million hectares | -13.0% |
| 1997 | 5.29 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 5.16 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 5.58 million hectares | +8.1% |
| 2000 | 5.37 million hectares | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 5.54 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 5.52 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 5.57 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 5.69 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 5.70 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 5.75 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 5.80 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 5.90 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 6.15 million hectares | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 6.15 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6.15 million hectares | +0.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 6.15 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.67 million hectares, 1.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 6.15 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.88 million hectares, 2.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.92 million hectares | 3.90 million hectares | 3.94 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.12 million hectares | 3.94 million hectares | 4.28 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.77 million hectares | 4.21 million hectares | 5.75 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.54 million hectares | 5.15 million hectares | 5.93 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.70 million hectares | 5.37 million hectares | 6.15 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.15 million hectares | 6.15 million hectares | 6.15 million hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 12 Democratic Republic of Congo 7.55 million hectares compare
- 13 Cote d'Ivoire 7.30 million hectares compare
- 14 Mali 6.98 million hectares compare
- 16 Burkina Faso 5.76 million hectares compare
- 17 Mozambique 5.40 million hectares compare
- 18 Tunisia 5.23 million hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Kenya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 16.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 547.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6779 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 12.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable and permanent cropland in Kenya?
- Arable and permanent cropland in Kenya was 6.15 million hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest arable and permanent cropland recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 6.15 million hectares in 2009.
- What is the lowest arable and permanent cropland recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.90 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Kenya rank for arable and permanent cropland?
- Kenya ranks 15th out of 52 countries with data for 2011.
- Is arable and permanent cropland rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Arable and permanent cropland (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
This land category is the sum of areas under “Arable land” and "Permanent crops”. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under