Arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Arable land was 10.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa, 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
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 10.0% for arable land in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 10.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 1961.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 27th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.4% | — |
| 1962 | 5.4% | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 5.5% | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 5.6% | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 5.6% | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 5.6% | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 5.6% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 5.7% | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 5.8% | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 5.8% | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 5.8% | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 5.8% | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 5.8% | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 5.8% | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 5.9% | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 5.9% | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 5.9% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 6.0% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 6.0% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 6.1% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 6.1% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 6.1% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 6.2% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 6.2% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 6.3% | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 6.4% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 6.4% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 6.5% | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 6.5% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 6.6% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 6.8% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 6.9% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 7.1% | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 7.2% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 7.4% | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 7.5% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 7.5% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 7.5% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 7.7% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 7.7% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 7.8% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 7.8% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 8.0% | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 8.0% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 8.2% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 8.2% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 8.3% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 8.5% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 8.7% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 8.8% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 9.0% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 9.2% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 9.3% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 9.4% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 9.5% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 9.6% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 9.7% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 9.8% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 9.8% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 9.9% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 9.9% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 10.0% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 10.0% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.6% | 5.4% | 5.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.9% | 5.8% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.3% | 6.1% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.2% | 6.6% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.1% | 7.7% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.4% | 8.8% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.9% | 9.9% | 10.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa was 10.0% 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 10.0% in 2023.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 1961.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for arable land?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 27th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.