Arable land in Sweden
Sweden: Arable land was 6.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land in Sweden, 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
Sweden recorded 6.2% 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 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Sweden peaked at 8.7% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 6.2%, in 2023.
That places Sweden 126th 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 Sweden, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 8.7% | — |
| 1962 | 8.6% | -1.8% |
| 1963 | 8.1% | -5.5% |
| 1964 | 8.0% | -1.2% |
| 1965 | 7.8% | -2.9% |
| 1966 | 7.6% | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 7.6% | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 7.4% | -2.2% |
| 1969 | 7.5% | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 7.5% | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 7.5% | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 7.4% | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 7.4% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 7.4% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 7.4% | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 7.4% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 7.3% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 7.4% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 7.3% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 7.3% | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 7.3% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 7.2% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 7.2% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 7.2% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 7.2% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 7.1% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 7.1% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 7.0% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 7.0% | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 7.0% | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 6.8% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 6.8% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 6.8% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 6.8% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 6.8% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 6.9% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 6.9% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 6.8% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 6.7% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 6.4% | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 6.6% | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 6.5% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 6.5% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 6.5% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 6.6% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 6.5% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 6.5% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 6.4% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 6.5% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 6.4% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 6.4% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 6.4% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 6.4% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 6.3% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 6.3% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 6.3% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 6.3% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 6.2% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 6.2% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 6.2% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 6.2% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 6.2% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 6.2% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.9% | 7.4% | 8.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.4% | 7.3% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.2% | 7.0% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.8% | 6.7% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.5% | 6.4% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.3% | 6.2% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.2% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 123 Brazil 6.7% compare
- 124 Democratic Republic of Congo 6.6% compare
- 125 Ireland 6.4% compare
- 127 Tajikistan 6.1% compare
- 128 Eritrea 5.7% compare
- 129 Puerto Rico 5.7% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sweden
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 15.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.015 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 949.09 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1092 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 3.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Sweden?
- Arable land in Sweden was 6.2% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 8.7% in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.2% in 2023.
- How does Sweden rank for arable land?
- Sweden ranks 126th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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.