Arable land in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Arable land was 6.04 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
6.04 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
41st
of 206 countries
All-time high
7.35 million hectares
in 1964
All-time low
5.65 million hectares
in 2001
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom stood at 6.04 million hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in United Kingdom peaked at 7.35 million hectares in 1964 and was at its lowest, 5.65 million hectares, in 2001.
That places United Kingdom 41st 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 United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 7.17 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 7.24 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 7.28 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 7.35 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 7.34 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 7.32 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 7.31 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 7.28 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 7.16 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 7.10 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 7.13 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 7.13 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 7.08 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 7.07 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 6.87 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 6.89 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 6.92 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 6.94 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 6.83 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 6.92 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 6.91 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 6.91 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 6.90 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 6.92 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 6.99 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 6.94 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 6.93 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 6.89 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 6.70 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 6.62 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 6.57 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 6.55 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 6.09 million hectares | -7.1% |
| 1994 | 5.91 million hectares | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 5.94 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 6.10 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 6.37 million hectares | +4.4% |
| 1998 | 6.25 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 5.92 million hectares | -5.4% |
| 2000 | 5.88 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 5.65 million hectares | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 5.79 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 5.66 million hectares | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 5.82 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 5.73 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 6.09 million hectares | +6.4% |
| 2007 | 6.08 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 6.00 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 6.05 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 5.97 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 6.06 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 6.21 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 6.27 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 6.23 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 6.01 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 6.03 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 6.08 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 6.04 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 6.09 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 5.98 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 6.01 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 6.04 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 6.04 million hectares | +0.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 6.04 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 178,890 hectares, 33.8× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 6.04 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.32 million hectares, 4.6× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.27 million hectares | 7.16 million hectares | 7.35 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.00 million hectares | 6.83 million hectares | 7.13 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.90 million hectares | 6.70 million hectares | 6.99 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.23 million hectares | 5.91 million hectares | 6.62 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.88 million hectares | 5.65 million hectares | 6.09 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.10 million hectares | 5.97 million hectares | 6.27 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.02 million hectares | 5.98 million hectares | 6.04 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More agriculture & rural data for United Kingdom
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0064 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 368.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1852 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1668 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in United Kingdom?
- Arable land in United Kingdom was 6.04 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 7.35 million hectares in 1964.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.65 million hectares in 2001.
- How does United Kingdom rank for arable land?
- United Kingdom ranks 41st out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.