Arable land in France
France: Arable land was 16.90 million hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
16.90 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
18th
of 206 countries
All-time high
19.61 million hectares
in 1961
All-time low
16.90 million hectares
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in France, 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
France recorded 16.90 million hectares for arable land in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in France peaked at 19.61 million hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 16.90 million hectares, in 2023.
France ranks 18th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Arable land in France, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 19.61 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 19.53 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 19.45 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 19.08 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 18.80 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1966 | 18.46 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 1967 | 18.08 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1968 | 17.58 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 1969 | 17.57 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 17.42 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 17.06 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1972 | 17.03 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 17.10 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 17.28 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 17.33 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 17.13 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 17.27 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 17.35 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 17.40 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 17.47 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 17.53 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 17.65 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 17.67 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 17.81 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 17.92 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 18.00 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 18.17 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 17.81 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1989 | 17.71 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 17.78 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 17.83 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 17.85 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 18.03 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 18.10 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 18.17 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 18.20 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 18.27 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 18.32 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 18.35 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 18.35 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 18.35 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 18.37 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 18.35 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 18.37 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 18.38 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 18.34 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 18.29 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 18.27 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 18.26 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 18.30 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 18.27 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 18.28 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 18.31 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 18.33 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 18.48 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 18.36 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 18.46 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 18.13 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 17.94 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 16.98 million hectares | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 17.01 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 16.99 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 16.90 million hectares | -0.5% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 16.90 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 178,890 hectares, 94.5× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- France's 16.90 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.32 million hectares, 12.8× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.68 million hectares | 17.57 million hectares | 19.61 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 17.24 million hectares | 17.03 million hectares | 17.42 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.77 million hectares | 17.47 million hectares | 18.17 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.09 million hectares | 17.78 million hectares | 18.35 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.33 million hectares | 18.26 million hectares | 18.38 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.29 million hectares | 17.94 million hectares | 18.48 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.97 million hectares | 16.90 million hectares | 17.01 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
More agriculture & rural data for France
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 14.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.014 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 687.36 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.033 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2115 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in France?
- Arable land in France was 16.90 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 19.61 million hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.90 million hectares in 2023.
- How does France rank for arable land?
- France ranks 18th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this France 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.