Arable land in Portugal
Portugal: Arable land was 10.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land in Portugal, 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
Portugal recorded 10.1% for arable land in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Portugal peaked at 27.4% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 10.1%, in 2023.
That places Portugal 102nd out of 206 countries 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 Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 27.4% | — |
| 1962 | 27.4% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 27.3% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 27.3% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 27.2% | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 27.2% | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 27.1% | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 27.1% | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 27.0% | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 27.0% | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 27.0% | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 26.9% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 26.9% | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 26.8% | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 26.8% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 26.7% | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 26.6% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 26.6% | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 26.5% | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 26.5% | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 26.4% | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 26.4% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 26.3% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 26.3% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 26.2% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 26.2% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 26.1% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 26.0% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 26.0% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 25.6% | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 25.2% | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 24.9% | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 24.5% | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 24.0% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 23.5% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 21.9% | -7.1% |
| 1997 | 20.6% | -5.9% |
| 1998 | 19.7% | -4.4% |
| 1999 | 18.7% | -4.6% |
| 2000 | 19.1% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 17.8% | -7.0% |
| 2002 | 17.9% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 17.0% | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 16.2% | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 14.3% | -11.9% |
| 2006 | 13.6% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 12.6% | -7.5% |
| 2008 | 13.3% | +6.3% |
| 2009 | 13.1% | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 12.5% | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 12.3% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 12.3% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 12.4% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 12.0% | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 11.7% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 10.7% | -8.2% |
| 2017 | 10.6% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 10.5% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 10.9% | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 10.6% | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 10.6% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 10.2% | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 10.1% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 27.2% | 27.0% | 27.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 26.8% | 26.5% | 27.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.2% | 26.0% | 26.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.9% | 18.7% | 25.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.5% | 12.6% | 19.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.6% | 10.5% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.4% | 10.1% | 10.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 99 Zimbabwe 10.4% compare
- 100 Mexico 10.3% compare
- 101 Eswatini 10.3% compare
- 103 Switzerland 10.0% compare
- 104 South Africa 9.9% compare
- 105 Iran, Islamic Republic of 9.7% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Portugal
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0196 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 628.85 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5936 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.385 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Portugal?
- Arable land in Portugal was 10.1% 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 Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 27.4% in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.1% in 2023.
- How does Portugal rank for arable land?
- Portugal ranks 102nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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.