Arable land in Egypt
Egypt: Arable land was 3.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Arable land in Egypt, 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
Egypt recorded 3.1% for arable land in 2023.
The figure is up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Egypt peaked at 3.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 1983.
Egypt ranks 154th 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 Egypt, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.5% | — |
| 1962 | 2.4% | -2.6% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 2.4% | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 2.6% | +6.6% |
| 1966 | 2.7% | +3.9% |
| 1967 | 2.7% | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 2.7% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 2.7% | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 2.7% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 2.7% | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 2.7% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 2.7% | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 2.7% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 2.7% | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 2.6% | -3.5% |
| 1977 | 2.5% | -3.7% |
| 1978 | 2.4% | -4.2% |
| 1979 | 2.3% | -3.8% |
| 1980 | 2.3% | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 2.3% | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 2.3% | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 2.3% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 2.3% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 2.3% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 2.3% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 2.3% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 2.3% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 2.3% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 2.3% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 2.6% | +15.4% |
| 1993 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2.6% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | +7.8% |
| 1996 | 2.7% | -3.8% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 2.8% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 3.0% | +7.2% |
| 2000 | 2.8% | -6.4% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 2.9% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 3.0% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | -13.6% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 2.7% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 2.9% | +9.2% |
| 2010 | 2.9% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 2.7% | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 2.7% | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 2.9% | +8.5% |
| 2016 | 2.8% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 2.9% | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | +4.7% |
| 2019 | 3.2% | +5.6% |
| 2020 | 3.4% | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 3.1% | -8.6% |
| 2022 | 3.1% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 2.3% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.6% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
- 151 Turkmenistan 3.4% compare
- 152 Costa Rica 3.3% compare
- 153 Algeria 3.2% compare
- 155 Peru 3.1% compare
- 156 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 2.9% compare
- 157 Central African Republic 2.9% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Egypt
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.32 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1655 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 510.76 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.571 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Egypt?
- Arable land in Egypt was 3.1% 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 Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 3.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 1983.
- How does Egypt rank for arable land?
- Egypt ranks 154th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Egypt 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.