Arable land (hectares), per square kilometre in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Arable land (hectares), per square kilometre was 22.18 hectares per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Arable land (hectares), per square kilometre in Sri Lanka, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per square kilometre.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 22.18 hectares per square kilometre for arable land (hectares), per square kilometre in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land (hectares), per square kilometre in Sri Lanka peaked at 22.18 hectares per square kilometre in 2020 and was at its lowest, 9.2 hectares per square kilometre, in 1962.
Sri Lanka ranks 48th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land (hectares), per square kilometre in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | hectares per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 9.49 hectares per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 9.2 hectares per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 1963 | 12.63 hectares per square kilometre | +37.3% |
| 1964 | 12.6 hectares per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 12.65 hectares per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 12.63 hectares per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 12.63 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 12.73 hectares per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 12.82 hectares per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 12.92 hectares per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 13.01 hectares per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 13.11 hectares per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 13.2 hectares per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 13.3 hectares per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 14.19 hectares per square kilometre | +6.7% |
| 1976 | 14.75 hectares per square kilometre | +4.0% |
| 1977 | 15.36 hectares per square kilometre | +4.1% |
| 1978 | 15.94 hectares per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 1979 | 14.22 hectares per square kilometre | -10.8% |
| 1980 | 13.59 hectares per square kilometre | -4.4% |
| 1981 | 14.04 hectares per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 13.61 hectares per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 1983 | 13.87 hectares per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 14.02 hectares per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 13.74 hectares per square kilometre | -2.0% |
| 1986 | 13.81 hectares per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 13.98 hectares per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 14.01 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 14.05 hectares per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 14.18 hectares per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 14.22 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 14.23 hectares per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 13.96 hectares per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 14.13 hectares per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 14.15 hectares per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 14.05 hectares per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 14.02 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 14.04 hectares per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 14.12 hectares per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 14.36 hectares per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 14.36 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 14.68 hectares per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 15.15 hectares per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 14.35 hectares per square kilometre | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 17.54 hectares per square kilometre | +22.2% |
| 2006 | 16.74 hectares per square kilometre | -4.5% |
| 2007 | 15.95 hectares per square kilometre | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 19.14 hectares per square kilometre | +20.0% |
| 2009 | 19.14 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 19.14 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 20.73 hectares per square kilometre | +8.3% |
| 2012 | 20.73 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 20.73 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 20.73 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 21 hectares per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 21.17 hectares per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 21.33 hectares per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 22.17 hectares per square kilometre | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 22.17 hectares per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 22.18 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 22.18 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 22.18 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 22.18 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 22.18 hectares per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 9.89 hectares per square kilometre, 2.2× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 22.18 hectares per square kilometre is above the median for South Asia, which is 17.8 hectares per square kilometre, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arable land (hectares), per square kilometre in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | +37.3% | 9.2 hectares per square kilometre | 12.63 hectares per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.93 hectares per square kilometre | 9.2 hectares per square kilometre | 12.82 hectares per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 14 hectares per square kilometre | 12.92 hectares per square kilometre | 15.94 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.87 hectares per square kilometre | 13.59 hectares per square kilometre | 14.05 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.11 hectares per square kilometre | 13.96 hectares per square kilometre | 14.23 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.14 hectares per square kilometre | 14.35 hectares per square kilometre | 19.14 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.99 hectares per square kilometre | 19.14 hectares per square kilometre | 22.17 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.18 hectares per square kilometre | 22.18 hectares per square kilometre | 22.18 hectares per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 45 Cambodia 23.34 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 46 Spain 23.01 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 47 Malta 22.81 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 49 Sierra Leone 21.95 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 50 Latvia 21.85 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 51 Albania 21.56 hectares per square kilometre compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land (hectares), per square kilometre in Sri Lanka?
- Arable land (hectares), per square kilometre in Sri Lanka was 22.18 hectares per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest arable land (hectares), per square kilometre recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 22.18 hectares per square kilometre in 2020.
- What is the lowest arable land (hectares), per square kilometre recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.2 hectares per square kilometre in 1962.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for arable land (hectares), per square kilometre?
- Sri Lanka ranks 48th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land (hectares), per square kilometre rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Arable land (hectares), per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Arable land (hectares) divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Arable land (hectares) ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Arable land 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)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Arable land (hectares) divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.