Arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Arable land was 0.1904 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1904 hectares per person
Change on year
down 1.9%
Rank
16th
of 47 groups
All-time high
0.5489 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.1904 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) is 0.1904 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 0.5489 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1904 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 16th out of 47 groups 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 in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.5489 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.5379 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1963 | 0.5331 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1964 | 0.5242 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1965 | 0.5143 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 0.5033 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 0.493 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1968 | 0.4866 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1969 | 0.4766 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1970 | 0.4654 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1971 | 0.4563 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 0.4463 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 0.4351 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1974 | 0.4218 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1975 | 0.414 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 0.4049 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 0.3944 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 0.3876 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 0.3767 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1980 | 0.3667 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1981 | 0.3565 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 0.3487 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1983 | 0.3412 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1984 | 0.3342 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1985 | 0.3314 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 0.3245 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 0.3158 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1988 | 0.3096 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1989 | 0.3043 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 0.3004 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 0.2981 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 0.2959 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 0.2813 hectares per person | -4.9% |
| 1994 | 0.2773 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 0.2767 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 0.2726 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 0.267 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 0.2614 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 0.2588 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 0.2532 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 0.2482 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 0.244 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 0.2428 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 0.2387 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 0.2359 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 0.2313 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 0.2283 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 0.2259 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 0.2254 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 0.2227 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.221 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 0.2319 hectares per person | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 0.229 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 0.225 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 0.2209 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 0.2176 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 0.214 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 0.2109 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 0.2065 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 0.2018 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 0.1978 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 0.1941 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 0.1904 hectares per person | -1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5131 hectares per person | 0.4766 hectares per person | 0.5489 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.4203 hectares per person | 0.3767 hectares per person | 0.4654 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3333 hectares per person | 0.3043 hectares per person | 0.3667 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.279 hectares per person | 0.2588 hectares per person | 0.3004 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2374 hectares per person | 0.2254 hectares per person | 0.2532 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.22 hectares per person | 0.2065 hectares per person | 0.2319 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1961 hectares per person | 0.1904 hectares per person | 0.2018 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 13 Belarus 0.6066 hectares per person compare
- 14 Bulgaria 0.5408 hectares per person compare
- 15 Estonia 0.5189 hectares per person compare
- 16 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 0.4543 hectares per person compare
- 17 United States of America 0.4501 hectares per person compare
- 18 Romania 0.4411 hectares per person compare
- 19 Hungary 0.432 hectares per person compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.71 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.90 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population 731.36 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 0.1904 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5489 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1904 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for arable land?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 16th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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
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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.