Arable land in Tanzania
Tanzania: Arable land was 13.50 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
13.50 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
23rd
of 206 countries
All-time high
13.50 million hectares
in 2020
All-time low
5.05 million hectares
in 1962
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in Tanzania, 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 Tanzania is 13.50 million hectares, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Tanzania peaked at 13.50 million hectares in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.05 million hectares, in 1962.
That places Tanzania 23rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.20 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 5.05 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 1963 | 6.10 million hectares | +20.8% |
| 1964 | 6.00 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1965 | 6.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 6.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 6.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 6.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 6.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 7.00 million hectares | +16.7% |
| 1971 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 8.00 million hectares | +14.3% |
| 1979 | 8.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 8.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 8.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 8.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 8.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 8.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 9.00 million hectares | +12.5% |
| 1986 | 9.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 9.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 9.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 9.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 9.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 9.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 8.80 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 8.90 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 8.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 8.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 9.00 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 8.91 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 8.72 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 8.70 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 8.60 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 8.53 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 8.60 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 8.54 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 9.10 million hectares | +6.5% |
| 2005 | 9.65 million hectares | +6.1% |
| 2006 | 10.21 million hectares | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 10.77 million hectares | +5.5% |
| 2008 | 11.33 million hectares | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 11.51 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 11.69 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 11.87 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 12.05 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 12.23 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 12.41 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 12.60 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 12.78 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 12.96 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 13.14 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 13.32 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 13.50 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 13.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 13.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 13.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 13.50 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.60 million hectares, 5.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 13.50 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.83 million hectares, 4.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.82 million hectares | 5.05 million hectares | 6.10 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.20 million hectares | 7.00 million hectares | 8.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.50 million hectares | 8.00 million hectares | 9.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.88 million hectares | 8.70 million hectares | 9.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.68 million hectares | 8.53 million hectares | 11.51 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.50 million hectares | 11.69 million hectares | 13.32 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.50 million hectares | 13.50 million hectares | 13.50 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More agriculture & rural data for Tanzania
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.77 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2291 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 292.74 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6312 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 22.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 22.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.5% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Tanzania?
- Arable land in Tanzania was 13.50 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 13.50 million hectares in 2020.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.05 million hectares in 1962.
- How does Tanzania rank for arable land?
- Tanzania ranks 23rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.