Cropland area in Botswana
Botswana: Cropland area was 262,000 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
262,000 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
143rd
of 224 countries
All-time high
421,000 hectares
in 1990
All-time low
184,000 hectares
in 2007
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cropland area in Botswana, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 262,000 hectares for cropland area in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland area in Botswana peaked at 421,000 hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 184,000 hectares, in 2007.
Botswana ranks 143rd of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Cropland area in Botswana, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 400,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 400,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 400,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 400,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 401,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 401,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 401,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 401,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 401,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 401,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 401,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 402,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 402,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 402,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 402,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 402,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 402,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 402,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 404,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 404,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 404,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 406,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 408,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 408,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 410,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 410,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 415,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 421,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 301,000 hectares | -28.5% |
| 1992 | 251,000 hectares | -16.6% |
| 1993 | 351,000 hectares | +39.8% |
| 1994 | 396,000 hectares | +12.8% |
| 1995 | 346,000 hectares | -12.6% |
| 1996 | 346,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 301,000 hectares | -13.0% |
| 1998 | 231,000 hectares | -23.3% |
| 1999 | 241,000 hectares | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 351,000 hectares | +45.6% |
| 2001 | 201,000 hectares | -42.7% |
| 2002 | 246,000 hectares | +22.4% |
| 2003 | 196,000 hectares | -20.3% |
| 2004 | 227,000 hectares | +15.8% |
| 2005 | 215,000 hectares | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 203,000 hectares | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 184,000 hectares | -9.4% |
| 2008 | 281,000 hectares | +52.7% |
| 2009 | 318,000 hectares | +13.2% |
| 2010 | 261,000 hectares | -17.9% |
| 2011 | 326,000 hectares | +24.9% |
| 2012 | 287,000 hectares | -12.0% |
| 2013 | 282,000 hectares | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 404,000 hectares | +43.3% |
| 2015 | 261,600 hectares | -35.2% |
| 2016 | 261,600 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 261,600 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 261,600 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 262,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 262,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 262,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 262,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 262,000 hectares | +0.0% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 262,000 hectares is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.58 million hectares, 17% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 262,000 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 8% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cropland area in Botswana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +52.7% | 184,000 hectares | 281,000 hectares |
| 2000 | +45.6% | 241,000 hectares | 351,000 hectares |
| 2014 | +43.3% | 282,000 hectares | 404,000 hectares |
| 2001 | -42.7% | 351,000 hectares | 201,000 hectares |
| 1993 | +39.8% | 251,000 hectares | 351,000 hectares |
| 2015 | -35.2% | 404,000 hectares | 261,600 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 400,556 hectares | 400,000 hectares | 401,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 402,000 hectares | 401,000 hectares | 404,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 407,700 hectares | 404,000 hectares | 415,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 318,500 hectares | 231,000 hectares | 421,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 242,200 hectares | 184,000 hectares | 351,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 286,840 hectares | 261,000 hectares | 404,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 262,000 hectares | 262,000 hectares | 262,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More agriculture & rural data for Botswana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0178 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 138.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0839 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3204 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland area in Botswana?
- Cropland area in Botswana was 262,000 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 Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 421,000 hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest cropland area recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 184,000 hectares in 2007.
- How does Botswana rank for cropland area?
- Botswana ranks 143rd out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cropland area rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana 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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