What is the highest arable land recorded in Germany?

The highest recorded value was 12.22 million hectares in 1961.

What is the lowest arable land recorded in Germany?

The lowest recorded value was 11.47 million hectares in 1992.

How does Germany rank for arable land?

Germany ranks 25th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.

Is arable land rising or falling in Germany?

Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.

Arable land in Germany

Name: Arable land in Germany
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)

Germany: Arable land was 11.68 million hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)

11.68 million hectares

Change on year

up 0.2%

World rank

25th

of 206 countries

All-time high

12.22 million hectares

in 1961

All-time low

11.47 million hectares

in 1992

Years of data

1961–2023

Arable land in Germany, 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

The most recent figure for arable land in Germany is 11.68 million hectares, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, arable land in Germany peaked at 12.22 million hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 11.47 million hectares, in 1992.

That places Germany 25th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

Arable land in Germany, year by year

Annual values for Arable land (hectares) in Germany, 1961 to 2023.
Year	hectares	Change
1961	12.22 million hectares	—
1962	12.19 million hectares	-0.3%
1963	12.16 million hectares	-0.2%
1964	12.16 million hectares	-0.0%
1965	12.15 million hectares	-0.1%
1966	12.15 million hectares	+0.0%
1967	12.05 million hectares	-0.9%
1968	12.03 million hectares	-0.1%
1969	12.00 million hectares	-0.3%
1970	11.95 million hectares	-0.4%
1971	11.96 million hectares	+0.1%
1972	12.00 million hectares	+0.3%
1973	11.99 million hectares	-0.1%
1974	12.02 million hectares	+0.3%
1975	12.04 million hectares	+0.2%
1976	12.09 million hectares	+0.4%
1977	12.07 million hectares	-0.1%
1978	12.09 million hectares	+0.1%
1979	12.06 million hectares	-0.2%
1980	12.03 million hectares	-0.2%
1981	12.00 million hectares	-0.2%
1982	11.97 million hectares	-0.2%
1983	11.97 million hectares	-0.1%
1984	11.95 million hectares	-0.1%
1985	11.96 million hectares	+0.0%
1986	11.96 million hectares	+0.0%
1987	11.95 million hectares	-0.1%
1988	11.95 million hectares	+0.0%
1989	11.95 million hectares	+0.0%
1990	11.97 million hectares	+0.2%
1991	11.56 million hectares	-3.4%
1992	11.47 million hectares	-0.8%
1993	11.68 million hectares	+1.8%
1994	11.80 million hectares	+1.1%
1995	11.84 million hectares	+0.3%
1996	11.84 million hectares	+0.0%
1997	11.83 million hectares	-0.0%
1998	11.88 million hectares	+0.4%
1999	11.82 million hectares	-0.5%
2000	11.80 million hectares	-0.2%
2001	11.81 million hectares	+0.1%
2002	11.79 million hectares	-0.2%
2003	11.83 million hectares	+0.3%
2004	11.90 million hectares	+0.6%
2005	11.90 million hectares	+0.1%
2006	11.87 million hectares	-0.3%
2007	11.88 million hectares	+0.1%
2008	11.93 million hectares	+0.5%
2009	11.95 million hectares	+0.1%
2010	11.85 million hectares	-0.8%
2011	11.88 million hectares	+0.2%
2012	11.83 million hectares	-0.3%
2013	11.88 million hectares	+0.4%
2014	11.87 million hectares	-0.1%
2015	11.85 million hectares	-0.2%
2016	11.76 million hectares	-0.7%
2017	11.77 million hectares	+0.1%
2018	11.73 million hectares	-0.3%
2019	11.71 million hectares	-0.1%
2020	11.66 million hectares	-0.4%
2021	11.66 million hectares	-0.1%
2022	11.66 million hectares	-0.0%
2023	11.68 million hectares	+0.2%

Germany compared with similar countries

Germany's 11.68 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 178,890 hectares, 65.3× the median. (77 countries reporting)
Germany's 11.68 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.32 million hectares, 8.8× the median. (53 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	12.12 million hectares	12.00 million hectares	12.22 million hectares	9
1970s	12.03 million hectares	11.95 million hectares	12.09 million hectares	10
1980s	11.97 million hectares	11.95 million hectares	12.03 million hectares	10
1990s	11.77 million hectares	11.47 million hectares	11.97 million hectares	10
2000s	11.87 million hectares	11.79 million hectares	11.95 million hectares	10
2010s	11.81 million hectares	11.71 million hectares	11.88 million hectares	10
2020s	11.66 million hectares	11.66 million hectares	11.68 million hectares	4

Countries ranked near Germany

22 Democratic Republic of Congo 14.90 million hectares compare
23 Tanzania 13.50 million hectares compare
24 South Africa 12.00 million hectares compare
26 Spain 11.50 million hectares compare
27 Poland 11.20 million hectares compare
28 Myanmar 11.01 million hectares compare

See the full ranking of 206 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Germany

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.73 % change on previous year (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0087 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 527.18 current US$ per person (2025)
Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6813 % change on previous year (2025)
Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Rural population, per capita 0.1786 units per person (2025)
Share of GDP from agriculture 0.9% (2025)
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.9% (2025)
Agricultural raw materials exports 0.7% (2024)
Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is arable land in Germany?: Arable land in Germany was 11.68 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 Germany?: The highest recorded value was 12.22 million hectares in 1961.
What is the lowest arable land recorded in Germany?: The lowest recorded value was 11.47 million hectares in 1992.
How does Germany rank for arable land?: Germany ranks 25th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
Is arable land rising or falling in Germany?: Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Germany 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 Germany. 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/germany/

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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.