Arable land in Rwanda
Rwanda: Arable land was 1.16 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.16 million hectares
Change on year
down 6.4%
World rank
101st
of 206 countries
All-time high
1.29 million hectares
in 2017
All-time low
485,000 hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in Rwanda, 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
Rwanda recorded 1.16 million hectares for arable land in 2023.
The figure is down 6.4% on the previous year and down 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Rwanda peaked at 1.29 million hectares in 2017 and was at its lowest, 485,000 hectares, in 1961.
Rwanda ranks 101st 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 Rwanda, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 485,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 490,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 495,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 500,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 505,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 510,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 515,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 521,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 528,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 522,000 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 560,000 hectares | +7.3% |
| 1972 | 621,000 hectares | +10.9% |
| 1973 | 610,000 hectares | -1.8% |
| 1974 | 668,000 hectares | +9.5% |
| 1975 | 686,000 hectares | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 700,000 hectares | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 715,000 hectares | +2.1% |
| 1978 | 730,000 hectares | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 745,000 hectares | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 760,000 hectares | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 775,000 hectares | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 790,000 hectares | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 805,000 hectares | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 820,000 hectares | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 827,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 834,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 842,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 849,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 850,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 880,000 hectares | +3.5% |
| 1991 | 880,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 880,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 850,000 hectares | -3.4% |
| 1994 | 700,000 hectares | -17.6% |
| 1995 | 700,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 750,000 hectares | +7.1% |
| 1997 | 800,000 hectares | +6.7% |
| 1998 | 820,000 hectares | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 866,000 hectares | +5.6% |
| 2000 | 1.00 million hectares | +15.5% |
| 2001 | 1.10 million hectares | +10.0% |
| 2002 | 1.12 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 1.12 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 1.12 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 1.12 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 1.13 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 1.13 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 1.13 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 1.16 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 1.18 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 1.21 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 1.24 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 1.26 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 1.29 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 1.29 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 1.29 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.29 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 1.24 million hectares | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 1.19 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 2020 | 1.21 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 1.27 million hectares | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 1.24 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 1.16 million hectares | -6.4% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 1.16 million hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 3.00 million hectares, 39% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 1.16 million hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.83 million hectares, 41% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 505,444 hectares | 485,000 hectares | 528,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 655,700 hectares | 522,000 hectares | 745,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 815,200 hectares | 760,000 hectares | 850,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 812,600 hectares | 700,000 hectares | 880,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.11 million hectares | 1.00 million hectares | 1.16 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.25 million hectares | 1.18 million hectares | 1.29 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.22 million hectares | 1.16 million hectares | 1.27 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More agriculture & rural data for Rwanda
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.203 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 228.16 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.6953 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6909 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 20.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 20.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Rwanda?
- Arable land in Rwanda was 1.16 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 1.29 million hectares in 2017.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 485,000 hectares in 1961.
- How does Rwanda rank for arable land?
- Rwanda ranks 101st out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.