Cropland area in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Cropland area was 8.80 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Cropland area in Bangladesh, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Bangladesh recorded 8.80 million hectares for cropland area in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland area in Bangladesh peaked at 9.84 million hectares in 1989 and was at its lowest, 8.50 million hectares, in 2014.
Bangladesh ranks 36th of 224 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Cropland area in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 8.88 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 8.88 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 8.88 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 8.92 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 9.04 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 9.05 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 9.10 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 9.07 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 9.07 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 9.10 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 9.10 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 9.39 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 9.39 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 9.39 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 9.40 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 9.40 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 9.39 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 9.39 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 9.38 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 9.39 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 9.38 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 9.38 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 9.36 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 9.46 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 9.43 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 9.44 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 9.52 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 9.83 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 9.84 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 9.79 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 9.72 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 8.95 million hectares | -7.9% |
| 1993 | 8.85 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 8.76 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 8.77 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 8.73 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 8.77 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 8.83 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 8.89 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 8.80 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 8.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8.75 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 8.73 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 8.72 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 8.71 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 8.68 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 8.67 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 8.65 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 8.65 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 8.64 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 8.53 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 8.52 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 8.51 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 8.50 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 8.56 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 8.59 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 8.59 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 8.60 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 8.80 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 8.83 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 8.82 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 8.83 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 8.80 million hectares | -0.3% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 8.80 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.82 million hectares, 3.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 8.80 million hectares is above the median for South Asia, which is 2.26 million hectares, 3.9× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.99 million hectares | 8.88 million hectares | 9.10 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 9.33 million hectares | 9.10 million hectares | 9.40 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.50 million hectares | 9.36 million hectares | 9.84 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.00 million hectares | 8.73 million hectares | 9.79 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.72 million hectares | 8.65 million hectares | 8.80 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.58 million hectares | 8.50 million hectares | 8.80 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.82 million hectares | 8.80 million hectares | 8.83 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More agriculture & rural data for Bangladesh
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1142 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 296.72 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6676 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 11.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 11.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2018)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 6.0% (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland area in Bangladesh?
- Cropland area in Bangladesh was 8.80 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 Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 9.84 million hectares in 1989.
- What is the lowest cropland area recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.50 million hectares in 2014.
- How does Bangladesh rank for cropland area?
- Bangladesh ranks 36th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cropland area rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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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