Arable land in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Arable land was 16.40 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Arable land in Ethiopia, 1993–2023
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
The most recent figure for arable land in Ethiopia is 16.40 million hectares, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Ethiopia peaked at 16.43 million hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9.85 million hectares, in 2002.
That places Ethiopia 19th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Arable land in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 10.00 million hectares | — |
| 1994 | 9.93 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 9.94 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 9.93 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 9.90 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 9.89 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 9.88 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 9.87 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 9.86 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 9.85 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 10.93 million hectares | +10.9% |
| 2004 | 12.36 million hectares | +13.1% |
| 2005 | 12.82 million hectares | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 13.40 million hectares | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 14.04 million hectares | +4.8% |
| 2008 | 13.61 million hectares | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 13.95 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 14.56 million hectares | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 15.19 million hectares | +4.3% |
| 2012 | 15.35 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 15.47 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 15.60 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 15.72 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 15.85 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 15.97 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 16.19 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 16.19 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 16.20 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 16.43 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 16.40 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 16.40 million hectares | +0.0% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 16.40 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.00 million hectares, 5.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 16.40 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.83 million hectares, 5.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.92 million hectares | 9.88 million hectares | 10.00 million hectares | 7 |
| 2000s | 12.07 million hectares | 9.85 million hectares | 14.04 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.61 million hectares | 14.56 million hectares | 16.19 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.36 million hectares | 16.20 million hectares | 16.43 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More agriculture & rural data for Ethiopia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -20.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3282 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 306.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7589 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 32.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 32.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Ethiopia?
- Arable land in Ethiopia was 16.40 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 16.43 million hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.85 million hectares in 2002.
- How does Ethiopia rank for arable land?
- Ethiopia ranks 19th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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 — 31 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.