Arable land in South Korea
South Korea: Arable land was 1.46 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.46 million hectares
Change on year
up 10.3%
World rank
92nd
of 206 countries
All-time high
2.20 million hectares
in 1967
All-time low
1.32 million hectares
in 2022
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in South Korea, 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
In 2023, arable land in South Korea stood at 1.46 million hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.3% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in South Korea peaked at 2.20 million hectares in 1967 and was at its lowest, 1.32 million hectares, in 2022.
That places South Korea 92nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in South Korea, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.03 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 2.00 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1963 | 2.01 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 2.09 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 1965 | 2.16 million hectares | +3.4% |
| 1966 | 2.19 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 2.20 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 2.17 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 2.16 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 2.15 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 2.13 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 2.10 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 2.10 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 2.08 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 2.06 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 2.06 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 2.07 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 2.08 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 2.07 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 2.06 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 2.05 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 2.05 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 2.03 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 2.02 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 2.01 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 2.00 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 2.01 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 2.00 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 1.98 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 1.95 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 1.93 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 1.90 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 1.88 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 1.84 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 1.78 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 1996 | 1.75 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 1.72 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 1.71 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 1.70 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 1.72 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 1.69 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 1.67 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 1.66 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 1.65 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 1.64 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 1.62 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 1.60 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 1.56 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 1.54 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 1.51 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 1.49 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 1.52 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 1.50 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 1.48 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 1.46 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 1.42 million hectares | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 1.40 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 1.37 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 1.36 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 1.35 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 1.34 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 1.32 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 1.46 million hectares | +10.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 1.46 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 178,890 hectares, 8.1× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 1.46 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 94,150 hectares, 15.5× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.11 million hectares | 2.00 million hectares | 2.20 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.09 million hectares | 2.06 million hectares | 2.15 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.02 million hectares | 1.98 million hectares | 2.06 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.82 million hectares | 1.70 million hectares | 1.95 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.64 million hectares | 1.54 million hectares | 1.72 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.45 million hectares | 1.36 million hectares | 1.52 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.37 million hectares | 1.32 million hectares | 1.46 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More agriculture & rural data for South Korea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.2516 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0146 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 530.46 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1591 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1883 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in South Korea?
- Arable land in South Korea was 1.46 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 2.20 million hectares in 1967.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.32 million hectares in 2022.
- How does South Korea rank for arable land?
- South Korea ranks 92nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea 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.