Arable land in Malta
Malta: Arable land was 7,300 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land in Malta, 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 Malta stood at 7,300 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.4% on the previous year and down 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Malta peaked at 17,000 hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 7,300 hectares, in 2023.
That places Malta 172nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Malta, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 17,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 16,000 hectares | -5.9% |
| 1963 | 15,000 hectares | -6.2% |
| 1964 | 14,000 hectares | -6.7% |
| 1965 | 13,000 hectares | -7.1% |
| 1966 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 12,000 hectares | -7.7% |
| 1976 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 13,000 hectares | +8.3% |
| 1978 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 13,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 12,000 hectares | -7.7% |
| 1981 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 12,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 10,000 hectares | -16.7% |
| 1996 | 10,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 9,000 hectares | -10.0% |
| 1998 | 8,000 hectares | -11.1% |
| 1999 | 8,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 8,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 9,000 hectares | +12.5% |
| 2002 | 9,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9,300 hectares | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 9,000 hectares | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 8,200 hectares | -8.9% |
| 2006 | 8,200 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 8,000 hectares | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 8,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9,080 hectares | +13.5% |
| 2011 | 9,080 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 9,000 hectares | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 8,970 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 8,970 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8,970 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9,070 hectares | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 9,070 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9,070 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 9,070 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7,800 hectares | -14.0% |
| 2021 | 7,800 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 7,800 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7,300 hectares | -6.4% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 7,300 hectares is below the median for high income countries, which is 178,890 hectares, 4% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Malta's 7,300 hectares is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.16 million hectares, 1% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14,111 hectares | 13,000 hectares | 17,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 12,800 hectares | 12,000 hectares | 13,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 12,000 hectares | 12,000 hectares | 12,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 10,500 hectares | 8,000 hectares | 12,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 8,470 hectares | 8,000 hectares | 9,300 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 9,035 hectares | 8,970 hectares | 9,080 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 7,675 hectares | 7,300 hectares | 7,800 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malta
More agriculture & rural data for Malta
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0047 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 224.75 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0432 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Malta?
- Arable land in Malta was 7,300 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 17,000 hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,300 hectares in 2023.
- How does Malta rank for arable land?
- Malta ranks 172nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malta 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.