Arable land in World
World: Arable land was 0.1717 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1717 hectares per person
Change on year
down 1.1%
Rank
21st
of 47 groups
All-time high
0.3589 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.1717 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in World, 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 World stood at 0.1717 hectares per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in World peaked at 0.3589 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1717 hectares per person, in 2023.
World ranks 21st of 47 groups 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 World, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.3589 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.3526 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1963 | 0.3474 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1964 | 0.3407 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 0.3347 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1966 | 0.328 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1967 | 0.3217 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1968 | 0.3185 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 0.3137 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1970 | 0.3065 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1971 | 0.2987 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1972 | 0.294 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1973 | 0.2884 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 0.283 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 0.2777 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 0.274 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 0.2704 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 0.2683 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 0.2648 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 0.2606 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 0.2566 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 0.2542 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 0.2507 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 0.2498 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 0.2479 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 0.2436 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 0.2392 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 0.2345 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1989 | 0.2306 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 0.2267 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 0.2232 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 0.2487 hectares per person | +11.4% |
| 1993 | 0.2438 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 0.2395 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 0.2356 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 0.2319 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 0.2291 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 0.2257 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 0.2227 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 0.2189 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 0.2159 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 0.2126 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 0.21 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 0.2077 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 0.2054 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 0.2026 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 0.1998 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 0.1972 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 0.1955 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 0.1933 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.1921 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 0.1919 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.19 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 0.1879 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 0.1862 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 0.1842 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1823 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 0.1803 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.1779 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 0.1763 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 0.1749 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 0.1735 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 0.1717 hectares per person | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3351 hectares per person | 0.3137 hectares per person | 0.3589 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2826 hectares per person | 0.2648 hectares per person | 0.3065 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2468 hectares per person | 0.2306 hectares per person | 0.2606 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2327 hectares per person | 0.2227 hectares per person | 0.2487 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2066 hectares per person | 0.1955 hectares per person | 0.2189 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1866 hectares per person | 0.1779 hectares per person | 0.1933 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1741 hectares per person | 0.1717 hectares per person | 0.1763 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near World
- 18 Romania 0.4411 hectares per person compare
- 19 Hungary 0.432 hectares per person compare
- 20 Sudan 0.4195 hectares per person compare
- 21 Guinea 0.4165 hectares per person compare
- 22 Finland 0.4019 hectares per person compare
- 23 Denmark 0.3977 hectares per person compare
- 24 Serbia 0.393 hectares per person compare
More agriculture & rural data for World
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0401 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 577.68 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2984 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4217 units per person (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Rural population 42.2% (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in World?
- Arable land in World was 0.1717 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3589 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1717 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does World rank for arable land?
- World ranks 21st out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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.