Arable land in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Arable land was 28.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Arable land in Burkina Faso, 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
Burkina Faso recorded 28.9% for arable land in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Burkina Faso peaked at 28.9% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 1961.
That places Burkina Faso 32nd 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 Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 11.0% | — |
| 1962 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 11.4% | +4.2% |
| 1985 | 11.9% | +4.0% |
| 1986 | 12.3% | +3.9% |
| 1987 | 12.8% | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 13.3% | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 13.7% | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 14.2% | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 14.6% | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 15.1% | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 15.6% | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 16.0% | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 16.5% | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 16.9% | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 17.4% | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 17.9% | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 18.3% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 18.8% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 19.2% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 19.7% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 20.2% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 20.6% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 21.1% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 21.5% | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 22.0% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 22.5% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 22.9% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 23.4% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 23.8% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 24.3% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 24.8% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 25.2% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 25.7% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 26.1% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 26.6% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 27.1% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 27.5% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 28.0% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 28.4% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 28.9% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 28.9% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.0% | 11.0% | 11.0% | 9 |
| 1970s | 11.0% | 11.0% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.9% | 11.0% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.3% | 14.2% | 18.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.9% | 18.8% | 22.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.5% | 23.4% | 27.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.6% | 28.0% | 28.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
More agriculture & rural data for Burkina Faso
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1994 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 228.86 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7108 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 19.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 19.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 6.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Burkina Faso?
- Arable land in Burkina Faso was 28.9% 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 Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 28.9% in 2022.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 1961.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for arable land?
- Burkina Faso ranks 32nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burkina Faso 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.