Cropland area in Australia
Australia: Cropland area was 31.37 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
31.37 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
12th
of 224 countries
All-time high
32.31 million hectares
in 2014
All-time low
13.75 million hectares
in 1975
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cropland area in Australia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, cropland area in Australia stood at 31.37 million hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland area in Australia peaked at 32.31 million hectares in 2014 and was at its lowest, 13.75 million hectares, in 1975.
That places Australia 12th out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Cropland area in Australia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 14.55 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 15.69 million hectares | +7.9% |
| 1963 | 15.56 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 16.48 million hectares | +5.9% |
| 1965 | 17.51 million hectares | +6.3% |
| 1966 | 18.97 million hectares | +8.3% |
| 1967 | 19.46 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 21.60 million hectares | +11.0% |
| 1969 | 19.82 million hectares | -8.2% |
| 1970 | 18.68 million hectares | -5.8% |
| 1971 | 17.05 million hectares | -8.7% |
| 1972 | 17.23 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1973 | 15.10 million hectares | -12.4% |
| 1974 | 14.96 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 13.75 million hectares | -8.1% |
| 1976 | 14.64 million hectares | +6.5% |
| 1977 | 15.01 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 16.80 million hectares | +11.9% |
| 1979 | 17.44 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 17.95 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 18.40 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 19.61 million hectares | +6.6% |
| 1983 | 19.42 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 21.91 million hectares | +12.8% |
| 1985 | 21.14 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 1986 | 20.85 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 19.77 million hectares | -5.2% |
| 1988 | 18.36 million hectares | -7.1% |
| 1989 | 17.70 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 1990 | 17.14 million hectares | -3.2% |
| 1991 | 17.38 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 16.40 million hectares | -5.6% |
| 1993 | 17.30 million hectares | +5.4% |
| 1994 | 18.04 million hectares | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 17.04 million hectares | -5.6% |
| 1996 | 19.41 million hectares | +13.9% |
| 1997 | 21.13 million hectares | +8.9% |
| 1998 | 21.59 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 23.26 million hectares | +7.7% |
| 2000 | 23.77 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 24.52 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 24.06 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 23.57 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 26.08 million hectares | +10.6% |
| 2005 | 26.74 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 24.57 million hectares | -8.1% |
| 2007 | 23.53 million hectares | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 24.37 million hectares | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 27.51 million hectares | +12.9% |
| 2010 | 25.97 million hectares | -5.6% |
| 2011 | 32.08 million hectares | +23.5% |
| 2012 | 31.99 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 31.61 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 32.31 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 31.40 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 30.38 million hectares | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 31.07 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 31.31 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 30.92 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 31.00 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 31.65 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 31.65 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 31.37 million hectares | -0.9% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 31.37 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 103.5× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Australia's 31.37 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 141,800 hectares, 221.3× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17.74 million hectares | 14.55 million hectares | 21.60 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 16.07 million hectares | 13.75 million hectares | 18.68 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.51 million hectares | 17.70 million hectares | 21.91 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.87 million hectares | 16.40 million hectares | 23.26 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.87 million hectares | 23.53 million hectares | 27.51 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.90 million hectares | 25.97 million hectares | 32.31 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.42 million hectares | 31.00 million hectares | 31.65 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland area in Australia?
- Cropland area in Australia was 31.37 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cropland area recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 32.31 million hectares in 2014.
- What is the lowest cropland area recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.75 million hectares in 1975.
- How does Australia rank for cropland area?
- Australia ranks 12th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cropland area rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cropland area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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