Arable land in Nigeria
Nigeria: Arable land was 36.87 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
36.87 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
8th
of 206 countries
All-time high
36.87 million hectares
in 2009
All-time low
23.68 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in Nigeria, 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
The most recent figure for arable land in Nigeria is 36.87 million hectares, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Nigeria peaked at 36.87 million hectares in 2009 and was at its lowest, 23.68 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Nigeria 8th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 23.68 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 23.82 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 23.97 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 24.12 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 24.27 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 24.41 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 24.56 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 24.71 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 24.86 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 25.00 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 25.15 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 25.30 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 25.44 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 25.59 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 25.74 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 25.89 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 26.03 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 26.18 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 26.33 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 26.48 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 26.62 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 26.77 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 26.92 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 27.07 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 27.21 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 27.36 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 27.48 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 27.71 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 27.89 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 28.07 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 29.00 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 30.10 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 30.10 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 31.00 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 32.90 million hectares | +6.1% |
| 1996 | 33.10 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 33.20 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 34.00 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 35.00 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 35.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 35.65 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 35.69 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 35.72 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 35.75 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 35.78 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 35.81 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 35.84 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 35.88 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 36.87 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 35.94 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 35.97 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 36.00 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 36.03 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 36.07 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 36.10 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 36.13 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 36.16 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 36.42 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 36.87 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 36.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 36.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 36.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 36.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 36.87 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.60 million hectares, 14.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 36.87 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.83 million hectares, 13.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 24.27 million hectares | 23.68 million hectares | 24.86 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 25.67 million hectares | 25.00 million hectares | 26.33 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 27.15 million hectares | 26.48 million hectares | 27.89 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.65 million hectares | 28.07 million hectares | 35.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.80 million hectares | 35.00 million hectares | 36.87 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.17 million hectares | 35.94 million hectares | 36.87 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.87 million hectares | 36.87 million hectares | 36.87 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Nigeria?
- Arable land in Nigeria was 36.87 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 36.87 million hectares in 2009.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.68 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Nigeria rank for arable land?
- Nigeria ranks 8th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.