Arable land (hectares) in Kenya
Kenya: Arable land (hectares) was 6.69 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
6.69 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
40th
of 206 countries
All-time high
6.69 million hectares
in 2022
All-time low
3.50 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Arable land in Kenya, 1961–2024
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 6.69 million hectares for arable land in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of up 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Kenya peaked at 6.69 million hectares in 2022 and was at its lowest, 3.50 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Kenya 40th out of 206 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Arable land (hectares) 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 | 5.09 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 5.02 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 5.08 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 5.23 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 5.22 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 5.24 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 5.34 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 5.39 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 5.46 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 5.55 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 5.60 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 5.71 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 5.78 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 5.87 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 6.00 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 6.09 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 6.18 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 6.30 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 6.38 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 6.45 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 6.46 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 6.69 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 6.69 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6.69 million hectares | +0.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 6.69 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 6.69 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.83 million hectares, 2.4× 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 | 5.20 million hectares | 4.89 million hectares | 5.46 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.95 million hectares | 5.55 million hectares | 6.38 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.60 million hectares | 6.45 million hectares | 6.69 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More agriculture & rural data for Kenya
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.9835 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0001 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1186 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.2405 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.4888 hectares per person (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Kenya?
- Arable land in Kenya was 6.69 million hectares in 2024, 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 6.69 million hectares in 2022.
- 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 40th out of 206 countries with data for 2024.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.9%. 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 — 64 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.