Arable land in Kenya
Kenya: Arable land was 6.63 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
6.63 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
39th
of 206 countries
All-time high
6.63 million hectares
in 2019
All-time low
3.50 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in Kenya, 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
Kenya recorded 6.63 million hectares for arable land in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Kenya peaked at 6.63 million hectares in 2019 and was at its lowest, 3.50 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Kenya 39th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Kenya, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.50 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3.80 million hectares | +8.6% |
| 1976 | 3.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3.73 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 4.57 million hectares | +22.8% |
| 1986 | 4.59 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 4.66 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 4.88 million hectares | +4.9% |
| 1989 | 5.27 million hectares | +8.0% |
| 1990 | 4.99 million hectares | -5.4% |
| 1991 | 5.10 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 5.29 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 5.06 million hectares | -4.4% |
| 1994 | 5.45 million hectares | +7.7% |
| 1995 | 5.44 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 4.67 million hectares | -14.1% |
| 1997 | 4.81 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 4.68 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 5.10 million hectares | +8.9% |
| 2000 | 4.89 million hectares | -4.0% |
| 2001 | 5.13 million hectares | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 5.09 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 5.15 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 5.26 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 5.26 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 5.31 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 5.30 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 5.30 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5.50 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 5.55 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 6.07 million hectares | +9.4% |
| 2012 | 6.39 million hectares | +5.2% |
| 2013 | 6.44 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 6.39 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 6.36 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 6.49 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 6.14 million hectares | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 6.58 million hectares | +7.0% |
| 2019 | 6.63 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 6.63 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6.63 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6.63 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6.63 million hectares | +0.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 6.63 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.60 million hectares, 2.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 6.63 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.83 million hectares, 2.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.50 million hectares | 3.50 million hectares | 3.50 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.65 million hectares | 3.50 million hectares | 3.80 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.29 million hectares | 3.73 million hectares | 5.27 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.06 million hectares | 4.67 million hectares | 5.45 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.22 million hectares | 4.89 million hectares | 5.50 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.31 million hectares | 5.55 million hectares | 6.63 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.63 million hectares | 6.63 million hectares | 6.63 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More agriculture & rural data for Kenya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 16.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 547.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6779 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 12.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Kenya?
- Arable land in Kenya was 6.63 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 6.63 million hectares in 2019.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.50 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Kenya rank for arable land?
- Kenya ranks 39th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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.