Arable land in Australia
Australia: Arable land was 4.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Arable land in Australia, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and website, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Australia recorded 4.0% for arable land in 2023.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Australia peaked at 4.2% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 1975.
That places Australia 148th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.9% | — |
| 1962 | 2.0% | +7.9% |
| 1963 | 2.0% | -0.9% |
| 1964 | 2.1% | +5.9% |
| 1965 | 2.3% | +6.3% |
| 1966 | 2.4% | +8.4% |
| 1967 | 2.5% | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 2.8% | +11.1% |
| 1969 | 2.6% | -8.3% |
| 1970 | 2.4% | -5.8% |
| 1971 | 2.2% | -8.9% |
| 1972 | 2.2% | +1.1% |
| 1973 | 1.9% | -12.5% |
| 1974 | 1.9% | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 1.8% | -8.2% |
| 1976 | 1.9% | +6.6% |
| 1977 | 1.9% | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 2.2% | +12.1% |
| 1979 | 2.2% | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 2.3% | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 2.4% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 2.5% | +6.7% |
| 1983 | 2.5% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 2.8% | +12.9% |
| 1985 | 2.7% | -3.6% |
| 1986 | 2.7% | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 2.6% | -5.2% |
| 1988 | 2.4% | -7.5% |
| 1989 | 2.3% | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 2.2% | -3.3% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 2.1% | -5.7% |
| 1993 | 2.2% | +5.5% |
| 1994 | 2.3% | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | -5.6% |
| 1996 | 2.5% | +14.0% |
| 1997 | 2.7% | +8.9% |
| 1998 | 2.8% | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 3.0% | +7.7% |
| 2000 | 3.1% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 3.2% | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 3.1% | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 3.0% | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 3.4% | +10.8% |
| 2005 | 3.4% | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 3.2% | -8.2% |
| 2007 | 3.0% | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 3.1% | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 3.5% | +13.1% |
| 2010 | 3.3% | -5.7% |
| 2011 | 4.1% | +23.8% |
| 2012 | 4.1% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 4.2% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 4.0% | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 3.9% | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 4.0% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 4.1% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4.0% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.3% | 1.9% | 2.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.5% | 2.3% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 2.1% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.2% | 3.0% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.0% | 3.3% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 145 Fiji 4.2% compare
- 146 Sao Tome and Principe 4.2% compare
- 147 Ecuador 4.1% compare
- 149 South Sudan 3.9% compare
- 150 Samoa 3.9% compare
- 151 Turkmenistan 3.4% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Australia?
- Arable land in Australia was 4.0% in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and website, 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 Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.2% in 2014.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 1975.
- How does Australia rank for arable land?
- Australia ranks 148th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and website, 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 (% of land area). 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 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.