Arable land in North America
North America: Arable land was 10.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land in North America, 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
North America recorded 10.6% for arable land in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in North America peaked at 12.7% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 10.6%, in 2023.
North America ranks 22nd of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in North America, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 12.0% | — |
| 1962 | 11.8% | -1.5% |
| 1963 | 12.0% | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 11.9% | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 11.9% | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 11.8% | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 11.7% | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 12.1% | +3.1% |
| 1969 | 12.6% | +3.8% |
| 1970 | 12.5% | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 12.5% | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 12.5% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 12.5% | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 12.4% | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 12.4% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 12.4% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 12.5% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 12.6% | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 12.6% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 12.6% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 12.7% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 12.6% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 12.6% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 12.6% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 12.6% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 12.7% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 12.5% | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 12.5% | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 12.5% | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 12.5% | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 12.5% | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 12.4% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 12.4% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 12.3% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 12.3% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 12.1% | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 12.1% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 12.0% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 11.9% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 11.9% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 11.9% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 11.8% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 11.6% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 11.5% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 11.4% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 11.2% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 11.1% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 11.0% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 10.9% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 10.8% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 10.7% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 10.6% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 10.7% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 10.7% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 10.8% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 10.8% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 10.8% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 10.8% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 10.7% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 10.6% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 10.6% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 10.6% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 10.6% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.0% | 11.7% | 12.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 12.5% | 12.4% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.6% | 12.5% | 12.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.3% | 11.9% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.4% | 10.9% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.7% | 10.6% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.6% | 10.6% | 10.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near North America
More agriculture & rural data for North America
- Rural population, per capita 0.1951 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.0% (2021)
- Rural population 74.83 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.2% (2025)
- Rural population 19.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 691.3 current US$ per person (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.18 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0099 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in North America?
- Arable land in North America was 10.6% 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 North America?
- The highest recorded value was 12.7% in 1986.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.6% in 2023.
- How does North America rank for arable land?
- North America ranks 22nd out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North America 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.