Arable land in Botswana
Botswana: Arable land was 260,000 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land in Botswana, 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.
Analysis
In 2023, arable land in Botswana stood at 260,000 hectares.
The figure is down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Botswana peaked at 420,000 hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 182,000 hectares, in 2007.
That places Botswana 138th out of 206 countries 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 399,556 hectares | 399,000 hectares | 400,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 401,000 hectares | 400,000 hectares | 403,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 406,700 hectares | 403,000 hectares | 414,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 317,500 hectares | 230,000 hectares | 420,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 240,750 hectares | 182,000 hectares | 350,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 284,840 hectares | 259,000 hectares | 402,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 260,000 hectares | 260,000 hectares | 260,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More agriculture & rural data for Botswana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 354.96 million current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.8% (2025)
- Rural population 821,007 (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.1% (2025)
- Rural population 32.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2023)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.8% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.8% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 60,588 hectares (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Botswana?
- Arable land in Botswana was 260,000 hectares 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 Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 420,000 hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 182,000 hectares in 2007.
- How does Botswana rank for arable land?
- Botswana ranks 138th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana 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). 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 (in hectares) 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.