Arable land in Malaysia
Malaysia: Arable land was 2.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land in Malaysia, 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 Malaysia stood at 2.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.0% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Malaysia peaked at 3.3% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 1961.
Malaysia ranks 164th of 206 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.3% | — |
| 1962 | 2.4% | +3.1% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 2.5% | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 2.4% | -4.6% |
| 1966 | 2.4% | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 2.4% | +1.5% |
| 1968 | 2.6% | +9.7% |
| 1969 | 2.6% | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 2.9% | +9.4% |
| 1971 | 2.9% | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 3.1% | +4.1% |
| 1973 | 3.1% | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 3.1% | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 3.2% | +5.0% |
| 1976 | 3.2% | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 3.2% | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 3.3% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 3.3% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 3.2% | -2.2% |
| 1981 | 3.1% | -2.3% |
| 1982 | 3.0% | -3.8% |
| 1983 | 3.0% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 2.9% | -4.0% |
| 1985 | 2.9% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 2.7% | -5.6% |
| 1987 | 2.7% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 2.8% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 2.8% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 2.8% | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 2.9% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 2.8% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 2.8% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 2.7% | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 2.7% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 2.7% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 2.7% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 2.6% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 2.9% | +10.3% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2.9% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 2.7% | -6.2% |
| 2007 | 2.5% | -7.1% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 2.6% | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 2.6% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 2.6% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 2.4% | -7.6% |
| 2014 | 2.5% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 2.5% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2.4% | -5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.1% | 2.9% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.7% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More agriculture & rural data for Malaysia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0822 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,078 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.913 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2261 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Malaysia?
- Arable land in Malaysia was 2.4% 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 1979.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 1961.
- How does Malaysia rank for arable land?
- Malaysia ranks 164th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.