Arable land in Laos
Laos: Arable land was 1.22 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.22 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
100th
of 206 countries
All-time high
1.51 million hectares
in 2016
All-time low
640,000 hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in Laos, 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 Laos stood at 1.22 million hectares.
The figure is down 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Laos peaked at 1.51 million hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, 640,000 hectares, in 1961.
Laos ranks 100th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Laos, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 640,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 640,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 640,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 640,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 640,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 650,000 hectares | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 650,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 658,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 660,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 665,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 670,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 700,000 hectares | +4.5% |
| 1973 | 720,000 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 740,000 hectares | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 750,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 760,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 770,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 775,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 780,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 780,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 780,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 785,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 785,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 790,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 792,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 793,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 793,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 795,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 795,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 799,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 799,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 799,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 799,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 822,000 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 828,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 824,000 hectares | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 854,000 hectares | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 862,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 877,000 hectares | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 920,000 hectares | +4.9% |
| 2001 | 970,000 hectares | +5.4% |
| 2002 | 1.01 million hectares | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 1.06 million hectares | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 1.10 million hectares | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 1.15 million hectares | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 1.20 million hectares | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 1.24 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 1.29 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 1.36 million hectares | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 1.40 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 1.43 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 1.46 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 1.50 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 1.50 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 1.51 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 1.51 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 1.44 million hectares | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 1.37 million hectares | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 1.30 million hectares | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 1.22 million hectares | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 1.22 million hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.60 million hectares, 47% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Laos's 1.22 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 94,150 hectares, 13.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 646,444 hectares | 640,000 hectares | 660,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 733,000 hectares | 665,000 hectares | 780,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 788,800 hectares | 780,000 hectares | 795,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 826,300 hectares | 799,000 hectares | 877,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.13 million hectares | 920,000 hectares | 1.36 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.44 million hectares | 1.30 million hectares | 1.51 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.22 million hectares | 1.22 million hectares | 1.22 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More agriculture & rural data for Laos
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1662 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 386.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0583 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5969 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 10.3% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 4.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Laos?
- Arable land in Laos was 1.22 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 Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 1.51 million hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 640,000 hectares in 1961.
- How does Laos rank for arable land?
- Laos ranks 100th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos 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.