Arable land in OECD members
OECD members: Arable land was 10.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land in OECD members, 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
OECD members recorded 10.3% for arable land in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in OECD members peaked at 11.7% in 1969 and was at its lowest, 10.3%, in 2023.
That places OECD members 22nd out of 45 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in OECD members, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 11.3% | — |
| 1962 | 11.3% | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 11.3% | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 11.3% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 11.3% | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 11.3% | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 11.2% | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 11.5% | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 11.7% | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 11.6% | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 11.4% | -1.1% |
| 1972 | 11.4% | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 11.3% | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 11.3% | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 11.3% | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 11.3% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 11.3% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 11.4% | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 11.5% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 11.5% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 11.5% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 11.5% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 11.5% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 11.6% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 11.6% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 11.6% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 11.5% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 11.4% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 11.4% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 11.4% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 11.4% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 11.4% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 11.5% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 11.4% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 11.3% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 11.3% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 11.3% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 11.3% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 11.3% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 11.3% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 11.2% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 11.1% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 11.0% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10.9% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 10.7% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 10.6% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 10.6% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 10.6% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 10.4% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 10.5% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 10.5% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 10.5% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 10.5% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 10.5% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 10.5% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 10.4% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 10.4% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 10.3% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 10.3% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 10.4% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 10.3% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 10.3% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.4% | 11.2% | 11.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 11.4% | 11.3% | 11.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.5% | 11.4% | 11.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.4% | 11.3% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.9% | 10.6% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.5% | 10.3% | 10.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.3% | 10.3% | 10.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
More agriculture & rural data for OECD members
- Rural population, per capita 0.1868 units per person (2025)
- Rural population 262.00 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.3% (2025)
- Rural population 18.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.3% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 699.9 current US$ per person (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0143 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 977.64 billion current US$ (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in OECD members?
- Arable land in OECD members was 10.3% 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 11.7% in 1969.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.3% in 2023.
- How does OECD members rank for arable land?
- OECD members ranks 22nd out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this OECD members 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.