Arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: 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 45 groups
All-time high
0.5488 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, 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
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 0.1904 hectares per person for arable land 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 peaked at 0.5488 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1904 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 16th out of 45 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, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.5488 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.5378 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1963 | 0.533 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1964 | 0.5241 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1965 | 0.5142 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 0.5032 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 0.4929 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1968 | 0.4865 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1969 | 0.4765 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1970 | 0.4653 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1971 | 0.4562 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 0.4462 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 0.435 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1974 | 0.4217 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1975 | 0.4139 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 0.4048 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 0.3943 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 0.3875 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 0.3766 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1980 | 0.3666 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1981 | 0.3564 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 | 0.3313 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 0.3244 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 0.3157 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1988 | 0.3096 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1989 | 0.3042 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 0.3003 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 0.2981 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 0.2958 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 | 0.2725 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 | 0.2531 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 0.2482 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 0.244 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 0.2427 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 | 0.2108 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 | 0.513 hectares per person | 0.4765 hectares per person | 0.5488 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.4202 hectares per person | 0.3766 hectares per person | 0.4653 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3332 hectares per person | 0.3042 hectares per person | 0.3666 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2789 hectares per person | 0.2588 hectares per person | 0.3003 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2374 hectares per person | 0.2254 hectares per person | 0.2531 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2199 hectares per person | 0.2065 hectares per person | 0.2319 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.196 hectares per person | 0.1904 hectares per person | 0.2018 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 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 0.4543 hectares per person compare
- 17 United States 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
- 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 731.42 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5488 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1904 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for arable land?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 16th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 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 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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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.