Arable land in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Arable land was 11.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Arable land in Low & middle income, 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
In 2023, arable land in Low & middle income stood at 11.8%.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Low & middle income peaked at 11.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9.0%, in 1961.
Low & middle income ranks 14th of 47 groups 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 Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 9.0% | — |
| 1962 | 9.0% | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 9.1% | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 9.2% | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 9.2% | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 9.3% | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 9.3% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 9.3% | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 9.4% | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 9.4% | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 9.4% | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 9.5% | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 9.5% | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 9.6% | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 9.6% | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 9.7% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 9.7% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 9.8% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 9.9% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 9.9% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 9.9% | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 10.1% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 10.2% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 10.3% | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 10.5% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 10.5% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 10.6% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 10.6% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 10.6% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 10.6% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 10.7% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 11.2% | +4.3% |
| 1993 | 11.1% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 11.1% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 11.1% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 11.2% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 11.2% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 11.2% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 11.2% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 11.2% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 11.2% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 11.3% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 11.3% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 11.4% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 11.5% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 11.5% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 11.5% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 11.6% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 11.6% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 11.7% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 11.6% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 11.7% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 11.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 11.7% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 11.8% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 11.8% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 11.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 11.7% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 11.8% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 11.8% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 11.8% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 11.8% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.2% | 9.0% | 9.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 9.6% | 9.4% | 9.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.3% | 9.9% | 10.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.1% | 10.6% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.4% | 11.2% | 11.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.7% | 11.6% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.8% | 11.8% | 11.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More agriculture & rural data for Low & middle income
- Rural population, per capita 0.4688 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 9.1% (2025)
- Rural population 3.18 billion (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Rural population 46.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 555.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0909 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Low & middle income?
- Arable land in Low & middle income was 11.8% 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 Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 11.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.0% in 1961.
- How does Low & middle income rank for arable land?
- Low & middle income ranks 14th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Low & middle income 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.