Arable land in Rwanda
Rwanda: Arable land was 1.16 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
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.
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 3.32 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 20.3% (2025)
- Rural population 10.07 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Rural population 69.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2022)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 20.3% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 20.3% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 546,634 hectares (2024)
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.