Arable land in Zambia
Zambia: Arable land was 5.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Arable land in Zambia, 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
Zambia recorded 5.1% for arable land in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Zambia peaked at 5.1% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 1979.
Zambia ranks 137th of 206 countries 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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.4% | — |
| 1962 | 3.4% | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 3.5% | +0.9% |
| 1964 | 3.5% | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 3.5% | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 3.6% | +2.1% |
| 1967 | 3.6% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 3.6% | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 3.7% | +1.1% |
| 1970 | 3.7% | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 3.9% | +4.7% |
| 1972 | 3.9% | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 3.9% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 4.0% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 3.9% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 3.9% | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 3.9% | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 3.7% | -5.5% |
| 1979 | 3.1% | -15.3% |
| 1980 | 3.1% | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 3.2% | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 3.3% | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 3.4% | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 3.4% | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 3.6% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 3.7% | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 3.7% | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 3.9% | +4.0% |
| 1990 | 3.9% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 3.7% | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 3.7% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 3.7% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3.8% | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 3.8% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 3.8% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3.8% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3.8% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3.8% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3.8% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3.7% | -4.3% |
| 2002 | 3.5% | -5.1% |
| 2003 | 3.9% | +11.3% |
| 2004 | 3.8% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 3.7% | -4.7% |
| 2006 | 4.1% | +10.5% |
| 2007 | 4.0% | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 4.1% | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 4.8% | +16.3% |
| 2010 | 4.6% | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 4.8% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 5.1% | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 5.0% | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 5.0% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5.0% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5.1% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 5.1% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5.1% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5.1% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.8% | 3.1% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.8% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.9% | 3.5% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 4.6% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.1% | 5.1% | 5.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 134 American Samoa 5.2% compare
- 135 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 5.1% compare
- 136 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5.1% compare
- 138 Trinidad and Tobago 4.9% compare
- 139 Belize 4.4% compare
- 140 Saint Lucia 4.4% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Zambia?
- Arable land in Zambia was 5.1% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.1% in 2012.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 1979.
- How does Zambia rank for arable land?
- Zambia ranks 137th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.