Arable land in India
India: Arable land was 0.107 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.107 hectares per person
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
104th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.3489 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.107 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in India, 1961–2023
Source: 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). Measured in hectares per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arable land in India is 0.107 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in India peaked at 0.3489 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.107 hectares per person, in 2023.
India ranks 104th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in India, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.3489 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.3427 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1963 | 0.3364 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1964 | 0.3291 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1965 | 0.3228 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 0.3167 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1967 | 0.3123 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1968 | 0.3062 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 0.2996 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1970 | 0.2941 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 0.2863 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1972 | 0.2808 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 0.276 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1974 | 0.2705 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 0.2647 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1976 | 0.2589 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 0.2529 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1978 | 0.2489 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1979 | 0.2435 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1980 | 0.2369 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1981 | 0.2315 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1982 | 0.2266 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 0.2207 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1984 | 0.2167 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 0.2117 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 0.2067 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 0.2018 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1988 | 0.1969 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 0.1932 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 0.189 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 0.1846 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 0.1802 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 0.1763 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 0.1727 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 0.1686 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 0.1644 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 0.1617 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 0.1585 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 0.155 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 0.1521 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 0.1487 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 0.1462 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 0.1431 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 0.1406 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 0.1381 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 0.1353 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 0.1327 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 0.1308 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 0.1289 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 0.1263 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 0.1245 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 0.1224 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 0.1207 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 0.1192 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 0.1178 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.1163 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 0.1147 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 0.1131 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 0.1119 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.1101 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 0.109 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 0.1081 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 0.107 hectares per person | -1.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 0.107 hectares per person is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.1272 hectares per person, 84% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 0.107 hectares per person is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.0615 hectares per person, 1.7× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3239 hectares per person | 0.2996 hectares per person | 0.3489 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2677 hectares per person | 0.2435 hectares per person | 0.2941 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2143 hectares per person | 0.1932 hectares per person | 0.2369 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1711 hectares per person | 0.155 hectares per person | 0.189 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1396 hectares per person | 0.1289 hectares per person | 0.1521 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1187 hectares per person | 0.1119 hectares per person | 0.1263 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1085 hectares per person | 0.107 hectares per person | 0.1101 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
- 101 El Salvador 0.1143 hectares per person compare
- 102 Uzbekistan 0.113 hectares per person compare
- 103 Iraq 0.1102 hectares per person compare
- 105 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.1069 hectares per person compare
- 106 Botswana 0.1048 hectares per person compare
- 107 Saudi Arabia 0.1018 hectares per person compare
More agriculture & rural data for India
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -2.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1623 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 438.73 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4067 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6431 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in India?
- Arable land in India was 0.107 hectares per person in 2023, according to 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).
- What is the highest arable land recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3489 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.107 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does India rank for arable land?
- India ranks 104th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from 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), published as part of Arable land (hectares per person). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Arable land (hectares per person) 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 market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.