Arable land in Kenya
Kenya: Arable land was 11.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Arable land in Kenya, 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
The most recent figure for arable land in Kenya is 11.4%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Kenya peaked at 11.5% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 6.1%, in 1961.
That places Kenya 91st 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6.1% | — |
| 1962 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 6.7% | +8.6% |
| 1976 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 6.5% | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 8.0% | +22.8% |
| 1986 | 8.1% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 8.2% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 8.6% | +4.9% |
| 1989 | 9.3% | +8.0% |
| 1990 | 8.8% | -5.4% |
| 1991 | 9.0% | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 9.3% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 8.9% | -4.4% |
| 1994 | 9.6% | +7.7% |
| 1995 | 9.6% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 8.2% | -14.1% |
| 1997 | 8.5% | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 8.2% | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 9.0% | +8.9% |
| 2000 | 8.6% | -4.0% |
| 2001 | 9.0% | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 8.9% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 9.0% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 9.2% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 9.2% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 9.3% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 9.3% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 9.3% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9.7% | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 9.8% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 10.7% | +9.4% |
| 2012 | 11.2% | +5.2% |
| 2013 | 11.3% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 11.2% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 11.1% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 11.3% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 10.7% | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 11.4% | +6.7% |
| 2019 | 11.5% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 11.4% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.1% | 6.1% | 6.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 6.4% | 6.1% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.5% | 6.5% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.9% | 8.2% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.2% | 8.6% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.0% | 9.8% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.4% | 11.4% | 11.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More agriculture & rural data for Kenya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 16.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 547.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6779 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 12.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Kenya?
- Arable land in Kenya was 11.4% 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 11.5% in 2019.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.1% in 1961.
- How does Kenya rank for arable land?
- Kenya ranks 91st out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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.