Arable land in Spain
Spain: Arable land was 11.50 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
11.50 million hectares
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
26th
of 206 countries
All-time high
16.34 million hectares
in 1971
All-time low
11.50 million hectares
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in Spain, 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 Spain stood at 11.50 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Spain peaked at 16.34 million hectares in 1971 and was at its lowest, 11.50 million hectares, in 2023.
That places Spain 26th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Spain, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 16.25 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 16.30 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 16.20 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 15.92 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 1965 | 15.97 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 15.51 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 1967 | 15.74 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1968 | 15.69 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 16.08 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 15.69 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 1971 | 16.34 million hectares | +4.1% |
| 1972 | 16.29 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 16.05 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1974 | 15.92 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 15.82 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 15.66 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 15.63 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 15.64 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 15.58 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 15.56 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 15.57 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 15.56 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 15.59 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 15.65 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 15.56 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 15.56 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 15.58 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 15.58 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 15.51 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 15.34 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 15.26 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 15.20 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 14.98 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 14.81 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 14.04 million hectares | -5.1% |
| 1996 | 14.45 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 14.29 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 13.68 million hectares | -4.2% |
| 1999 | 13.46 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 13.40 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 13.06 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 12.91 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 13.02 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 13.03 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 12.91 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 12.72 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 12.59 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 12.49 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 12.50 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 12.53 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 12.43 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 12.57 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 12.18 million hectares | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 12.28 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 12.28 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12.34 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 12.25 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 11.88 million hectares | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 11.81 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 11.64 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 11.55 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 11.69 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 11.50 million hectares | -1.7% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 11.50 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 178,890 hectares, 64.3× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Spain's 11.50 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.32 million hectares, 8.7× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 15.96 million hectares | 15.51 million hectares | 16.30 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 15.86 million hectares | 15.58 million hectares | 16.34 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.57 million hectares | 15.51 million hectares | 15.65 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.55 million hectares | 13.46 million hectares | 15.34 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.86 million hectares | 12.49 million hectares | 13.40 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.26 million hectares | 11.81 million hectares | 12.57 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.59 million hectares | 11.50 million hectares | 11.69 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More agriculture & rural data for Spain
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0268 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,036 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0113 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1949 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Spain?
- Arable land in Spain was 11.50 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 16.34 million hectares in 1971.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.50 million hectares in 2023.
- How does Spain rank for arable land?
- Spain ranks 26th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.