Arable land in Small states
Small states: Arable land was 2.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Arable land in Small states, 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 Small states stood at 2.7%.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Small states peaked at 3.5% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 1975.
That places Small states 43rd out of 45 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Small states, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.0% | — |
| 1962 | 2.0% | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 2.0% | -0.7% |
| 1964 | 2.0% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 2.0% | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 2.0% | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 2.0% | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 2.0% | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 2.0% | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 2.0% | +1.3% |
| 1971 | 2.0% | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 2.1% | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 2.1% | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 2.0% | -7.0% |
| 1975 | 1.8% | -6.1% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | +3.9% |
| 1979 | 1.9% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 1.9% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | -3.3% |
| 1982 | 1.9% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 1.9% | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 2.0% | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 1.9% | -1.5% |
| 1986 | 1.9% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 2.0% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 2.0% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 2.1% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 2.1% | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 3.5% | +66.4% |
| 1993 | 3.4% | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 3.3% | -4.1% |
| 1995 | 3.2% | -3.4% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 3.2% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 3.1% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 3.1% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 3.1% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 2.8% | -7.6% |
| 2002 | 2.7% | -3.7% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 2.6% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | +4.0% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 2.8% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 2.7% | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 2.6% | -7.0% |
| 2014 | 2.6% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 2.7% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 2.7% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 2.7% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 2.7% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 2.7% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 2.7% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 2.7% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 2.7% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.9% | 1.9% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.0% | 2.1% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.6% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Small states
More agriculture & rural data for Small states
- Rural population, per capita 0.479 units per person (2025)
- Rural population 9.75 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Rural population 47.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.2% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 611.84 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0369 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 12.45 billion current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Small states?
- Arable land in Small states was 2.7% 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 Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 1992.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 1975.
- How does Small states rank for arable land?
- Small states ranks 43rd out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Small states 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.