Arable land (hectares), per capita in South Africa
South Africa: Arable land (hectares), per capita was 0.1898 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land (hectares), per capita in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per person.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.1898 hectares per person for arable land (hectares), per capita in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land (hectares), per capita in South Africa peaked at 0.7097 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1898 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places South Africa 63rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land (hectares), per capita in South Africa, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.7097 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.6918 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 0.6739 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1964 | 0.6564 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1965 | 0.6391 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1966 | 0.6201 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1967 | 0.6015 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1968 | 0.5834 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1969 | 0.5661 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1970 | 0.5496 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1971 | 0.5341 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1972 | 0.5194 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1973 | 0.5051 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1974 | 0.4915 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1975 | 0.4784 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1976 | 0.466 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1977 | 0.4539 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 0.442 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1979 | 0.4305 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1980 | 0.4179 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1981 | 0.4042 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1982 | 0.3908 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1983 | 0.3774 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 0.3645 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1985 | 0.3526 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1986 | 0.3483 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 0.3362 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1988 | 0.3274 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1989 | 0.3205 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 0.3141 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 0.3094 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 0.3101 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 0.3101 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.3057 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 0.3031 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 0.3025 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 0.3 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 0.2964 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 0.2945 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 0.2929 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 0.2877 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 0.2853 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 0.2804 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 0.2715 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 0.2662 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 0.252 hectares per person | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 0.2494 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 0.2504 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 0.2447 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 0.2394 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 0.2271 hectares per person | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 0.2231 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 0.2195 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 0.2158 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 0.2116 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 0.2096 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 0.2082 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 0.2047 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 0.2014 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 0.1981 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 0.1951 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 0.1924 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 0.1898 hectares per person | -1.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.1898 hectares per person is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.1102 hectares per person, 1.7× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.1898 hectares per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.638 hectares per person | 0.5661 hectares per person | 0.7097 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.487 hectares per person | 0.4305 hectares per person | 0.5496 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.364 hectares per person | 0.3205 hectares per person | 0.4179 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3046 hectares per person | 0.2945 hectares per person | 0.3141 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2681 hectares per person | 0.2447 hectares per person | 0.2929 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.216 hectares per person | 0.2014 hectares per person | 0.2394 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1939 hectares per person | 0.1898 hectares per person | 0.1981 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land (hectares), per capita in South Africa?
- Arable land (hectares), per capita in South Africa was 0.1898 hectares per person in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest arable land (hectares), per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7097 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land (hectares), per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1898 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for arable land (hectares), per capita?
- South Africa ranks 63rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land (hectares), per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Arable land (hectares), per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Arable land (hectares) divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Arable land (hectares) ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Arable land FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Arable land (hectares) divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.