Arable and permanent cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Arable and permanent cropland was 228.77 million hectares in 2011. ▲ Rising
Latest (2011)
228.77 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
2nd
of 6 groups
All-time high
228.77 million hectares
in 2011
All-time low
146.01 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
51
1961–2011
Arable and permanent cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2011, arable and permanent cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 228.77 million hectares. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 16.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable and permanent cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 228.77 million hectares in 2011 and was at its lowest, 146.01 million hectares, in 1961.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Arable and permanent cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 146.01 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 147.44 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 149.48 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 150.83 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 152.16 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 152.91 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 153.79 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 155.52 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 156.95 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 157.51 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 158.68 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 159.68 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 160.00 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 159.94 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 161.51 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 162.74 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 163.36 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 164.98 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 165.24 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 165.66 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 165.56 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 166.45 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 167.44 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 168.09 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 171.00 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 172.13 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 172.26 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 173.85 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 175.13 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 176.83 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 178.50 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 180.36 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 183.78 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 184.96 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 187.97 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 188.61 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 189.59 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 192.10 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 193.28 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 193.53 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 196.37 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 199.24 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 205.12 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 206.98 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 213.60 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 216.34 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 219.06 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 225.02 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 223.92 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 228.05 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 228.77 million hectares | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 151.68 million hectares | 146.01 million hectares | 156.95 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 161.36 million hectares | 157.51 million hectares | 165.24 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 169.76 million hectares | 165.56 million hectares | 175.13 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 185.60 million hectares | 176.83 million hectares | 193.28 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 209.92 million hectares | 193.53 million hectares | 225.02 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 228.41 million hectares | 228.05 million hectares | 228.77 million hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable and permanent cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Arable and permanent cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa was 228.77 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 228.77 million hectares in 2011.
- What is the lowest arable and permanent cropland recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 146.01 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for arable and permanent cropland?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
- Is arable and permanent cropland rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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