Arable land in South Asia
South Asia: Arable land was 0.0993 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0993 hectares per person
Change on year
down 1.0%
Rank
39th
of 45 groups
All-time high
0.3207 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.0993 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in South Asia, 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
In 2023, arable land in South Asia stood at 0.0993 hectares per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in South Asia peaked at 0.3207 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0993 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places South Asia 39th out of 45 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in South Asia, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.3207 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.3147 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1963 | 0.3091 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1964 | 0.3023 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1965 | 0.2964 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 0.2906 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1967 | 0.2862 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1968 | 0.2803 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1969 | 0.2741 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1970 | 0.2691 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 0.2622 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1972 | 0.2578 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 0.2533 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1974 | 0.2481 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 0.2429 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1976 | 0.2376 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 0.2321 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1978 | 0.2284 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1979 | 0.2233 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1980 | 0.2173 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1981 | 0.2123 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1982 | 0.2078 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1983 | 0.2024 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1984 | 0.1988 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 0.1941 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 0.1896 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 0.1853 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1988 | 0.1812 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 0.1779 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 0.1739 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 0.17 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 0.1652 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 0.1616 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 0.1583 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 0.1546 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 0.1507 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 0.1484 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 0.1454 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 0.1423 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 0.1396 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 0.1365 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 0.1342 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 0.1314 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 0.1291 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 0.127 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 0.1245 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 0.1222 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 0.1206 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 0.1189 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 0.1166 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 0.115 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 0.1132 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 0.1117 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 0.1103 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 0.109 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.1077 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 0.1062 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 0.1049 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 0.1038 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 0.1022 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 0.1011 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 0.1003 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 0.0993 hectares per person | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2972 hectares per person | 0.2741 hectares per person | 0.3207 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2455 hectares per person | 0.2233 hectares per person | 0.2691 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1967 hectares per person | 0.1779 hectares per person | 0.2173 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.157 hectares per person | 0.1423 hectares per person | 0.1739 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1284 hectares per person | 0.1189 hectares per person | 0.1396 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1098 hectares per person | 0.1038 hectares per person | 0.1166 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1007 hectares per person | 0.0993 hectares per person | 0.1022 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
- 36 Brazil 0.2635 hectares per person compare
- 37 Benin 0.2513 hectares per person compare
- 38 France 0.2472 hectares per person compare
- 39 Zimbabwe 0.246 hectares per person compare
- 40 Albania 0.2449 hectares per person compare
- 41 Belize 0.2432 hectares per person compare
- 42 Slovakia 0.2408 hectares per person compare
More agriculture & rural data for South Asia
- Rural population, per capita 0.6421 units per person (2025)
- Rural population 1.09 billion (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Rural population 64.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.0% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 421.99 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -2.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.156 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 714.12 billion current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in South Asia?
- Arable land in South Asia was 0.0993 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3207 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0993 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does South Asia rank for arable land?
- South Asia ranks 39th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Asia 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.
Download this data
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.