What is the highest arable land recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?

The highest recorded value was 14.90 million hectares in 2023.

What is the lowest arable land recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?

The lowest recorded value was 6.36 million hectares in 1965.

How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for arable land?

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 22nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.

Is arable land rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?

Over the last ten years it is up 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Arable land in Democratic Republic of Congo

Name: Arable land in Democratic Republic of Congo
Creator: 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)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

Democratic Republic of Congo: Arable land was 14.90 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)

14.90 million hectares

Change on year

up 2.7%

World rank

22nd

of 206 countries

All-time high

14.90 million hectares

in 2023

All-time low

6.36 million hectares

in 1965

Years of data

1961–2023

Arable land in Democratic Republic of Congo, 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

Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 14.90 million hectares for arable land in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 26.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, arable land in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 14.90 million hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.36 million hectares, in 1965.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 22nd 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 in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year

Annual values for Arable land (hectares) in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1961 to 2023.
Year	hectares	Change
1961	6.40 million hectares	—
1962	6.40 million hectares	+0.0%
1963	6.40 million hectares	+0.0%
1964	6.38 million hectares	-0.3%
1965	6.36 million hectares	-0.3%
1966	6.36 million hectares	+0.0%
1967	6.37 million hectares	+0.2%
1968	6.40 million hectares	+0.5%
1969	6.42 million hectares	+0.3%
1970	6.44 million hectares	+0.3%
1971	6.47 million hectares	+0.5%
1972	6.50 million hectares	+0.5%
1973	6.52 million hectares	+0.3%
1974	6.55 million hectares	+0.5%
1975	6.54 million hectares	-0.1%
1976	6.59 million hectares	+0.7%
1977	6.61 million hectares	+0.3%
1978	6.62 million hectares	+0.2%
1979	6.60 million hectares	-0.3%
1980	6.62 million hectares	+0.3%
1981	6.65 million hectares	+0.5%
1982	6.64 million hectares	-0.2%
1983	6.65 million hectares	+0.2%
1984	6.67 million hectares	+0.3%
1985	6.70 million hectares	+0.4%
1986	6.72 million hectares	+0.3%
1987	6.70 million hectares	-0.3%
1988	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
1989	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
1990	6.67 million hectares	-0.4%
1991	6.68 million hectares	+0.1%
1992	6.70 million hectares	+0.3%
1993	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
1994	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
1995	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
1996	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
1997	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
1998	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
1999	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
2000	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
2001	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
2002	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
2003	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
2004	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
2005	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
2006	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
2007	6.70 million hectares	+0.0%
2008	6.75 million hectares	+0.7%
2009	7.93 million hectares	+17.5%
2010	9.11 million hectares	+14.9%
2011	10.30 million hectares	+13.0%
2012	11.48 million hectares	+11.5%
2013	11.79 million hectares	+2.7%
2014	12.31 million hectares	+4.5%
2015	12.46 million hectares	+1.2%
2016	12.66 million hectares	+1.6%
2017	13.24 million hectares	+4.6%
2018	13.49 million hectares	+1.9%
2019	13.68 million hectares	+1.4%
2020	13.68 million hectares	+0.0%
2021	13.70 million hectares	+0.2%
2022	14.50 million hectares	+5.8%
2023	14.90 million hectares	+2.7%

Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries

Democratic Republic of Congo's 14.90 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.00 million hectares, 5.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Democratic Republic of Congo's 14.90 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.83 million hectares, 5.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	6.39 million hectares	6.36 million hectares	6.42 million hectares	9
1970s	6.54 million hectares	6.44 million hectares	6.62 million hectares	10
1980s	6.67 million hectares	6.62 million hectares	6.72 million hectares	10
1990s	6.70 million hectares	6.67 million hectares	6.70 million hectares	10
2000s	6.83 million hectares	6.70 million hectares	7.93 million hectares	10
2010s	12.05 million hectares	9.11 million hectares	13.68 million hectares	10
2020s	14.20 million hectares	13.68 million hectares	14.90 million hectares	4

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

19 Ethiopia 16.40 million hectares compare
20 Thailand 15.84 million hectares compare
21 Iran 15.70 million hectares compare
23 Tanzania 13.50 million hectares compare
24 South Africa 12.00 million hectares compare
25 Germany 11.68 million hectares compare

See the full ranking of 206 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Democratic Republic of Congo

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.48 % change on previous year (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0893 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 72.04 current US$ per person (2025)
Rural population, annual growth rate 2.57 % change on previous year (2025)
Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0007 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Rural population, per capita 0.5489 units per person (2025)
Share of GDP from agriculture 8.9% (2025)
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.9% (2025)
Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2023)
Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2023)

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is arable land in Democratic Republic of Congo?: Arable land in Democratic Republic of Congo was 14.90 million 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?: The highest recorded value was 14.90 million hectares in 2023.
What is the lowest arable land recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?: The lowest recorded value was 6.36 million hectares in 1965.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for arable land?: Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 22nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
Is arable land rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?: Over the last ten years it is up 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.

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Arable land in Democratic Republic of Congo. Statizoid, drawing on 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). Retrieved 06 October 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/arable-land-hectares/congo-dem-rep/

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About this data

Indicator: Arable land (hectares)
Unit: hectares
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)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 206 places, 11,871 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 01 October 2026

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.