Arable land in Egypt
Egypt: Arable land was 3.10 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
3.10 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
66th
of 206 countries
All-time high
3.37 million hectares
in 2020
All-time low
2.26 million hectares
in 1983
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in Egypt, 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 Egypt stood at 3.10 million hectares.
That represents a change of up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Egypt peaked at 3.37 million hectares in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.26 million hectares, in 1983.
Egypt ranks 66th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Egypt, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.50 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 2.43 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 1963 | 2.41 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 2.42 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 2.58 million hectares | +6.6% |
| 1966 | 2.68 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 1967 | 2.69 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 2.69 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 2.73 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 2.73 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 2.73 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 2.73 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 2.72 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 2.71 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 2.69 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 2.60 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 1977 | 2.50 million hectares | -3.7% |
| 1978 | 2.40 million hectares | -4.2% |
| 1979 | 2.30 million hectares | -3.8% |
| 1980 | 2.29 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 2.31 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 2.28 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 2.26 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 2.28 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 2.31 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 2.32 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 2.29 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 2.31 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 2.30 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 2.28 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 2.27 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 2.62 million hectares | +15.4% |
| 1993 | 2.62 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2.61 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 2.82 million hectares | +7.8% |
| 1996 | 2.71 million hectares | -3.8% |
| 1997 | 2.78 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 2.79 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 2.99 million hectares | +7.2% |
| 2000 | 2.80 million hectares | -6.4% |
| 2001 | 2.86 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 2.94 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 2.91 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 2.96 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 2.56 million hectares | -13.6% |
| 2006 | 2.60 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 2.56 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 2.64 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 2.88 million hectares | +9.2% |
| 2010 | 2.87 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 2.81 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 2.83 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 2.71 million hectares | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 2.64 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 2.87 million hectares | +8.5% |
| 2016 | 2.79 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 2.91 million hectares | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 3.05 million hectares | +4.7% |
| 2019 | 3.22 million hectares | +5.6% |
| 2020 | 3.37 million hectares | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 3.08 million hectares | -8.6% |
| 2022 | 3.10 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 3.10 million hectares | +0.0% |
Egypt compared with similar countries
- Egypt's 3.10 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.60 million hectares, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Egypt's 3.10 million hectares is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.16 million hectares, 2.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.57 million hectares | 2.41 million hectares | 2.73 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.61 million hectares | 2.30 million hectares | 2.73 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.29 million hectares | 2.26 million hectares | 2.32 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.65 million hectares | 2.27 million hectares | 2.99 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.77 million hectares | 2.56 million hectares | 2.96 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.87 million hectares | 2.64 million hectares | 3.22 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.16 million hectares | 3.08 million hectares | 3.37 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
More agriculture & rural data for Egypt
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.32 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1655 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 510.76 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.571 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Egypt?
- Arable land in Egypt was 3.10 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 Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 3.37 million hectares in 2020.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.26 million hectares in 1983.
- How does Egypt rank for arable land?
- Egypt ranks 66th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Egypt 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.