Arable and permanent cropland in Nigeria
Nigeria: Arable and permanent cropland was 39.20 million hectares in 2011. ▲ Rising
Latest (2011)
39.20 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 52 countries
All-time high
40.50 million hectares
in 2007
All-time low
28.80 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
51
1961–2011
Arable and permanent cropland in Nigeria, 1961–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2011, arable and permanent cropland in Nigeria stood at 39.20 million hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 19.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable and permanent cropland in Nigeria peaked at 40.50 million hectares in 2007 and was at its lowest, 28.80 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Nigeria 1st out of 52 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Arable and permanent cropland in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 28.80 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 28.90 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 29.00 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 29.11 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 29.21 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 29.27 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 29.35 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 29.35 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 29.75 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 29.90 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 29.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 29.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 29.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 29.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 30.00 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 30.10 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 30.25 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 30.25 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 30.31 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 30.39 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 30.39 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 30.55 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 30.71 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 30.87 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 31.04 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 31.36 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 31.48 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 31.71 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 31.89 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 32.07 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 32.34 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 32.46 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 32.58 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 32.70 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 32.91 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 31.24 million hectares | -5.1% |
| 1997 | 30.74 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 32.54 million hectares | +5.9% |
| 1999 | 32.60 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 32.65 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 32.70 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 34.80 million hectares | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 34.90 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 36.00 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 38.00 million hectares | +5.6% |
| 2006 | 40.00 million hectares | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 40.50 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 40.00 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 37.20 million hectares | -7.0% |
| 2010 | 39.20 million hectares | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 39.20 million hectares | +0.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 39.20 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.67 million hectares, 10.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 39.20 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.88 million hectares, 13.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 29.19 million hectares | 28.80 million hectares | 29.75 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 30.04 million hectares | 29.90 million hectares | 30.31 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.04 million hectares | 30.39 million hectares | 31.89 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.22 million hectares | 30.74 million hectares | 32.91 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.67 million hectares | 32.65 million hectares | 40.50 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.20 million hectares | 39.20 million hectares | 39.20 million hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable and permanent cropland in Nigeria?
- Arable and permanent cropland in Nigeria was 39.20 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 40.50 million hectares in 2007.
- What is the lowest arable and permanent cropland recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.80 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Nigeria rank for arable and permanent cropland?
- Nigeria ranks 1st out of 52 countries with data for 2011.
- Is arable and permanent cropland rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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