Arable land in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Arable land was 4.02 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.02 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
58th
of 206 countries
All-time high
4.25 million hectares
in 2008
All-time low
980,137 hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe stood at 4.02 million hectares.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Zimbabwe peaked at 4.25 million hectares in 2008 and was at its lowest, 980,137 hectares, in 1961.
Zimbabwe ranks 58th 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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 980,137 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 1.02 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 1963 | 1.08 million hectares | +6.3% |
| 1964 | 1.12 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 1965 | 1.16 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 1966 | 1.14 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1967 | 1.21 million hectares | +5.9% |
| 1968 | 1.22 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 1.31 million hectares | +7.2% |
| 1970 | 1.38 million hectares | +4.8% |
| 1971 | 1.46 million hectares | +6.0% |
| 1972 | 1.56 million hectares | +7.0% |
| 1973 | 1.62 million hectares | +3.7% |
| 1974 | 1.71 million hectares | +5.6% |
| 1975 | 1.77 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 1976 | 1.81 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 1.90 million hectares | +4.9% |
| 1978 | 1.92 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 1.96 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 2.04 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 1981 | 2.16 million hectares | +6.0% |
| 1982 | 2.25 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 2.42 million hectares | +7.9% |
| 1984 | 2.48 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 2.54 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 2.65 million hectares | +4.6% |
| 1987 | 2.55 million hectares | -3.7% |
| 1988 | 2.65 million hectares | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 2.88 million hectares | +8.9% |
| 1990 | 3.00 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 3.05 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 2.80 million hectares | -8.3% |
| 1993 | 2.90 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 3.17 million hectares | +9.2% |
| 1995 | 3.14 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 3.32 million hectares | +5.8% |
| 1997 | 3.26 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 3.24 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 3.45 million hectares | +6.7% |
| 2000 | 3.70 million hectares | +7.1% |
| 2001 | 3.60 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 3.65 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 3.65 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3.80 million hectares | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 3.90 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 4.10 million hectares | +5.1% |
| 2007 | 4.00 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 4.25 million hectares | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 4.10 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 4.00 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 4.20 million hectares | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 4.05 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 4.05 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 4.05 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 4.04 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 4.04 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 4.04 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 4.04 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 4.03 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 4.03 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 4.03 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 4.02 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 4.02 million hectares | -0.1% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 4.02 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.60 million hectares, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 4.02 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.83 million hectares, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.14 million hectares | 980,137 hectares | 1.31 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.71 million hectares | 1.38 million hectares | 1.96 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.46 million hectares | 2.04 million hectares | 2.88 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.13 million hectares | 2.80 million hectares | 3.45 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.88 million hectares | 3.60 million hectares | 4.25 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.05 million hectares | 4.00 million hectares | 4.20 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.02 million hectares | 4.02 million hectares | 4.03 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More agriculture & rural data for Zimbabwe
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 34.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0947 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 286.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8815 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.595 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Zimbabwe?
- Arable land in Zimbabwe was 4.02 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 4.25 million hectares in 2008.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 980,137 hectares in 1961.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for arable land?
- Zimbabwe ranks 58th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.