Cropland area in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Cropland area was 18.46 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
18.46 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
19th
of 224 countries
All-time high
18.77 million hectares
in 2021
All-time low
10.45 million hectares
in 1998
Years of data
31
1993–2023
Cropland area in Ethiopia, 1993–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 18.46 million hectares for cropland area in 2023.
That represents a change of up 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland area in Ethiopia peaked at 18.77 million hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 10.45 million hectares, in 1998.
Ethiopia ranks 19th of 224 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Cropland area in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 10.54 million hectares | — |
| 1994 | 10.47 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 10.50 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 10.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 10.49 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 10.45 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 10.56 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 10.53 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 10.56 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 10.50 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 11.61 million hectares | +10.6% |
| 2004 | 13.10 million hectares | +12.9% |
| 2005 | 13.59 million hectares | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 14.22 million hectares | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 15.08 million hectares | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 14.51 million hectares | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 14.98 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 15.68 million hectares | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 16.33 million hectares | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 16.49 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 16.78 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 16.96 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 17.20 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 17.36 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 17.54 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 17.90 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 18.19 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 18.48 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 18.77 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 18.46 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 18.46 million hectares | +0.0% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 18.46 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.60 million hectares, 5.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 18.46 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 5.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.50 million hectares | 10.45 million hectares | 10.56 million hectares | 7 |
| 2000s | 12.87 million hectares | 10.50 million hectares | 15.08 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.04 million hectares | 15.68 million hectares | 18.19 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.54 million hectares | 18.46 million hectares | 18.77 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More agriculture & rural data for Ethiopia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -20.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3282 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 306.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7589 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 32.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 32.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland area in Ethiopia?
- Cropland area in Ethiopia was 18.46 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 18.77 million hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest cropland area recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.45 million hectares in 1998.
- How does Ethiopia rank for cropland area?
- Ethiopia ranks 19th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cropland area rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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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