Arable land in European Union
European Union: Arable land was 24.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land in European Union, 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
European Union recorded 24.4% for arable land in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in European Union peaked at 31.8% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 24.4%, in 2022.
European Union ranks 4th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in European Union, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 31.8% | — |
| 1962 | 31.7% | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 31.6% | -0.5% |
| 1964 | 31.3% | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 31.1% | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 30.8% | -0.9% |
| 1967 | 30.7% | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 30.5% | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 30.5% | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 30.2% | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 29.5% | -2.2% |
| 1972 | 29.4% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 29.2% | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 29.2% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 29.1% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 29.1% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 29.1% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 29.1% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 29.1% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 29.0% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 29.0% | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 28.9% | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 29.0% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 29.0% | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 29.0% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 29.0% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 28.9% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 28.7% | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 28.6% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 28.4% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 28.3% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 28.6% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 28.4% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 28.0% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 28.0% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 28.0% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 27.7% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 27.7% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 27.5% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 26.8% | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 26.5% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 26.3% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 26.2% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 26.1% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 25.9% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 25.5% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 25.7% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 25.6% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 25.4% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 25.3% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 25.3% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 25.1% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 25.1% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 25.0% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 25.0% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 25.0% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 24.8% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 24.9% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 24.5% | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 24.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 24.4% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 24.4% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 31.1% | 30.5% | 31.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 29.3% | 29.1% | 30.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 29.0% | 28.7% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.2% | 27.7% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.2% | 25.5% | 27.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.1% | 24.8% | 25.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.4% | 24.4% | 24.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near European Union
More agriculture & rural data for European Union
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 346.42 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.6% (2025)
- Rural population 112.00 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.4% (2025)
- Rural population 24.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.3% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2483 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in European Union?
- Arable land in European Union was 24.4% 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 European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 31.8% in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.4% in 2022.
- How does European Union rank for arable land?
- European Union ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this European Union 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.